He votes consistently like a RINO. Another RINO that comes to mind is Susan Collins. It's not acting independent, it's a lot of grandstanding and voting down the middle to take the path of least resistance according to polls, taking the least controversial course of action. In health care right now, for example, it's about calling for bipartisanship without really doing any heavy lifting to see that happen. And all the while, he's acting holier than thou.

As for your comment about Palin, I don't think he actively wanted to sink his chances. It was more that he made a knee-jerk response while mad because he didn't think it mattered whom he picked. Then, after the fact, it was too late.

As an aside, although I disagree with their reading of the Russia-Ukraine situation, I do have to give Sarah Palin credit for being the first to bring up a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also, in the Charlie Gard case, lots of people are talking about "death panels", which she was ridiculed for mentioning.

And if McCain was just thinking about America's interests, why did he undermine Russian democracy? Why not support Russia's effort to be a free and open society? Throughout the 1990s he was still just as trenchant as ever about Russia even though they were moving in the right direction.

I was hoping you'd see my remark about the cancer.