The memory of this, via today's well-done David Kirkpatrick piece in the Times, has to send acid running back into the stomach:
Soon [McCain] was cooperating with the Democrats on so many issues that he made a habit of stopping by Mr. Daschle’s office “to tell me what was going on in his caucus, give me advice, give me reports on a lot of the things he was working on, how the negotiations were going,” Mr. Daschle said. “Of all the Republicans with whom I worked, he was the most cooperative.”
When Mr. Daschle and Mr. Kennedy tried to persuade Mr. McCain to switch parties, Mr. McCain listened and his advisers spread the word around. Speculation about whether he would defect increased his leverage with Republican leaders.
Again, fine by me. But something tells me these guys will be less keen.
--Noam Scheiber