The real John McCain has been kidnapped and an impostor is running against J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona U.S. Senate primary.
It does sound far-fetched, but stranger things have happened in American politics. It's actually quite clever when you think about it.
John McCain realized quite early that he could not win re-election to the Senate if he campaigned on his actual record – that is, if he campaigned as who he is. So, he arranged to be kidnapped and secluded in a five-star resort in Fiji while a well-groomed look-alike, McCain 2.0, campaigns in his place.
McCain 2.0 is campaigning as a strong, unapologetic Reagan conservative. He is now opposed to illegal immigration and wants 3,000 National Guard troops sent to the Mexican border. The real John McCain would gag on that speech, so he has to be 10,000 miles away. He reportedly spends his days on Fiji divided between watching old James Cagney movies and writing his next book, "With Apologies Galore."
The mainstream media are not blind; they realize this is not the real John McCain. But they are playing along with the charade. It's the least they can do to help their favorite "maverick" deal with his "lunatic right-wing base."
Yet a funny thing happened on the way to the scripted victory dance. Despite a fawning press and a huge money advantage, the most recent Rasmussen Poll shows former Rep. J.D. Hayworth is now only 5 points behind McCain 2.0. Conservative activists in Arizona are not following the script.
I confess, I have my doubts that the impostor McCain 2.0 can keep the real McCain hidden for 14 more weeks. McCain 2.0 has called for 3,000 National Guard troops to be sent to the border and 700 miles of border fencing – and has endorsed the new Arizona law giving vast new powers to local police agencies to arrest illegal aliens. This is truly an act worthy of an Academy Award for best performance in political theater.
