McCain definitely Mavericky

By Louis Jacobson
Published on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 6:54 p.m.

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Is John McCain a "maverick"?

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican nominee John McCain was so closely identified with the term "maverick" that it became a national punchline. On the Oct. 4, 2008, edition of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey reprised her famed imitation of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, closing an opening skit spoofing the vice presidential debate with the line, "Oh, and for those Joe Six-packs out there playing a drinking game at home: 'Maverick.' "

So it came as a surprise to us when McCain was quoted on Newsweek magazine's Web site on April 3, 2010, saying, "I never considered myself a maverick. I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities."

Multiple campaign ads, speeches and interviews suggest otherwise. Heck, even an autobiographical book McCain co-authored has the "maverick" word right there in its subtitle.

Debunking this one wasn't a question of "if" but rather "how can we avoid piling on?" It wasn't easy. We rated McCain's claim Pants on Fire!