Does anyone really believe that John McCain is happy being managed by Rove's protege? That he's going to promote those folks inside the White House to be his "brain"? No, he's using them to get elected, but when elected he's going to be his own man again. The problem is, nobody but McCain knows who that man is. He's going to go his own way and not be beholden to any constituency, especially if he thinks he'll only go one term. No one would have any idea what he'd do, and that should scare the bejezus out of both the right and the left, and the independents. He'd be his own man, NOT the servant of the people.

Imagine this ad: "John McCain is maverick politician. He's gone against the will of his party many times. He's made friends across the aisle with his opponents. But he's also betrayed his friendships and abandoned his ideas when political winds shifted. The fact is that no one knows what John McCain will do next, including John McCain. Can you count on him to stand up for what you value, or will he just follow his own whims? Can a maverick really be trusted with the White House?"

I think what's really palpably off-putting about Bush for most conservatives is how he's tarnished the brand. Equate maverick with loose cannon, revive the distaste Republicans have long had with McCain running his own show, and toss in a little fear of the embarrassment of another failed presidency, and it might just deflate the base a bit as it's just beginning to coalesce.

Short of an actual ad (since I'm a bit short of a few million dollars), start peppering your conversations with McCain supporters with the idea that he'll betray their principles like the McCain of old once he no longer needs their votes, that he's his own drummer, that he's still a true maverick. Make them get clammy palms when that "true maverick" ad replays for the zillionth time.

(Cross-posted at OpenLeft.)