After years of establishing his maverick brand, Senator McCain now seems poised to set aside his rebellions against the conservative faction of the Republican party.  McCain's personal conservative renainssance comes during an epic presidential campaign struggle. Does the timing suggest an ulterior motive?

If John McCain was a "foot soldier" in the early days of the Reagan revolution, he has been the prodigal son during the post-Clinton years. After eight years rebelling, Senator McCain has returned to the conservative farm.

A question for Republicans to ask is what are McCain's motives in returning to his conservatism roots after eight years of rebellion? Put even more bluntly, does McCain's return mark a sincere desire to reconcile with conservatives or is this an expident means to his ends, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Put bluntly, will the real McCain step forward.

McCain's rebellions have reached as far as the holy grail of the conservative agenda, judicial appointments. He supported the appointment of now Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. To the ire of  conseratives, he allowed Democrats to filabuster the appointment of circuit judges. Indeed, for conservatives, the Bush legacy, love him or hate him, could well be a failure to appoint conservative judges to the federal circuits. McCain will be a large footnote to that legacy.

On voting twice against the Bush tax cuts, McCain has insisted that the Bush tax cuts were not accompanied with spending cuts. Being a Republican, McCain was by definition part of the "we" group he now criticizes. In other words, McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts because he and other Republicans let spending get out of control. The straight talk express doesn't add up here. It begs the question, if McCain favors tax cuts if and only if there are spending cuts and he lacks the leadership to advance spending cuts, how will a President McCain ever succeed in advancing tax cuts for the middle class or across the board spending cuts? Again, will the real McCain step forward.

From immigration reform to campaign finance, McCain has proven consistently inconsistent for both Democrats and Republicans. When McCain says he will put country before party, experience has shown this is code he has no intentions of being bound to any ideology. His senate record and campaign rhetoric support this. The one commonality Republicans and Democrats share, they don't trust John McCain. The campaign has shown that little has changed in the estranged relationship. Despite his rebellions, if John McCain pulls off a come back for the ages, it will be because conservatives mustered enough votes against Barrack Obama.