FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Will the real John McCain please stand up?
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The long-time Arizona senator, now in the toughest re-election battle of his career, is hardly recognizable these days.
We should have known something was wrong when the then-Republican presidential candidate decided Sarah Palin was a good idea for vice president.
McCain is a war hero. He endured years of torture rather than compromise with the enemy. He was a moderate lawmaker, willing to compromise and known for reaching across the aisle.
But suddenly when it looks like he might lose his cushy Senate seat, John McCain is willing to slither out of his principles much like a snake sheds its skin.
Take for example McCain's flip-flop on illegal immigration. It was only a few years ago that the senator supported a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal aliens in this country. A lot of people called that amnesty - because that's what it is.
But now that he's in danger of losing the Republican primary to a candidate who says McCain isn't conservative enough - the senator has changed his tune. He's calling for a crackdown on illegal immigrants and is supporting Arizona's tough new immigration law.
Plus - he's taken to making incomprehensible statements in defense of the measure like this one: "It's the ... drivers of cars with illegals in it that are intentionally causing accidents on the freeway." Say what?
McCain has also backed off several other issues - from gays in the military to climate change and creating a national debt panel.
To top it all off - McCain, known for years simply as a "maverick," denies he ever was one.
Here’s my question to you: Whatever happened to John McCain?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
D. in Arizona writes:
The old naval aviator is trying to fly through heavy flack from both the left and right while trying to make that last carrier landing. Too many issues are clouding his vision and the landing could be rough. He can't talk his way through it this time. He needs to recall what got him down safely so many times before.
David in Herndon, Virginia writes:
All I can think to say is that it saddens me to see what's become of this man. It's one thing to lose an election. It's another to lose it along with all your remaining dignity.
Doms in New York writes:
Are you kidding? He's in a tough election because those years of so-called great moderation have alienated him with the people who sent him to Washington. He's making a calculated decision to move his views closer to those of his constituents. Democracy at work. Hallelujah.
Phyllis writes:
What happened to John McCain? Sarah Palin.
Ralph in Corpus Christi, Texas writes:
Which one? The Maverick or the "I never proclaimed to be a Maverick"?
Will in California writes:
The "country first" McCain seems to have been replaced by "win the primary first" McCain. At this point he's tacked so far to the right he makes Mussolini look like a communist.
Michael writes:
How's that flippy-floppy thing goin' for ya' there, Mr. Straight-talk?
George in Austerlitz, New York writes:
Life has caught up with John McCain. I didn't always agree with him, but I always respected him. I still do. He is a guiding light, showing what happens to all of us, even those who live fiercely and with honor... We get old.