An American Lion

Despite the fawning of Senator Lindsey Graham—who should go down in defeat when he comes up for re-election—there’s no way that Senator John McCain could ever be the new leader of the Republican Party:

Barack Obama began his presidency with an open hand toward the man he had just defeated in a race that was at times bitter.

“There are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain,” said Obama at an inauguration-eve tribute dinner to his former foe.

But in the year since that evening of comity and collegiality, McCain has emerged as one of the leading critics of the new president. On foreign policy, his traditional area of expertise, and domestic affairs, where McCain has shown new passion, the 72-year-old Arizonan is making it plain that he has no plans to serve out his years in the rank-and-file, as a politician known more for what he lost than what he will yet accomplish.

For years, McCain relished being an outsider and a maverick, a style that often led to battles with his own party’s leadership. Today, for reasons that friends and McCain observers say could range from unresolved anger to concern for his right flank as he seeks re-election to genuine dismay about Obama’s agenda, he is helping lead a fiery crusade of GOP loyalists against Democratic priorities - and irked some of his Democratic colleagues in the process.

“The same ferocity he had about beating on Republicans … is now being focused on people on the other side whose agenda is really overreaching,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of McCain’s closest friends in the Senate. “He has every reason to be upset. There’s no change there. What would have been a change was if he wasn’t pissed off.”

“He is now the de facto leader of the Republican Party.”

As if.

Only the media are keeping McCain afloat right now. He has no base, he has barely a handful of people who follow him, and everything he says turns out to be wrong. He’s old hat. He’s probably going to go down in defeat in Arizona, just like Graham will be beaten in South Carolina.