Once again, the far-Right pundits are on John McCain’s case. And this time they’re doing him a great favor: driving a wedge between the Senator and the far Right in the minds of Democratic and independent voters. Rush Limbaugh, Bill Cunningham, Laura Ingraham, etc. have yet to realize McCain no longer needs them on board to the degree he did a month ago. At this point, with McCain as the sure GOP nominee, their outrage carries more weight as currency among despairing Hillary supporters than it does as a scarlet letter on display for the Republican party.

Yesterday at a campaign event, McCain rejected and apologized for Cunningham’s undignified remarks about Barack Obama. Cunningham called Obama a “hack, a Chicago-style” politician, while pulling the ultimate hack move of repeating Obama’s middle name “Hussein” before the crowd. McCain immediately took full responsibility in a forthright way that tends to shock these days. “I did not know about these remarks, but I take responsibility for them. I repudiate them,” he said.

Cunningham has since told Fox News he’s voting for Hillary and he’s “had it with McCain.” Here’s the Guardian on more conservative fallout:

Right-wing firebrand Rush Limbaugh also questioned why McCain would apologise for Cunningham’s remarks, and asked why it’s inappropriate for Cunningham to use Obama’s middle name.
“What if McCain’s middle name was Adolf instead of Sidney?” Limbaugh asked.

Limbaugh is pushing McCain into the arms of the non-GOP electorate. Limbaugh and Co. are horrified by the fact that many Democratic voters see McCain as the “okay” Republican, but this kind of criticism only amplifies that impression.