I have applauded John McCain’s eloquent Senate floor speeches in defense of the war the last couple of Saturdays, but have been unable to rule out their dual natures as sincere patriotism on the one hand and convenient damage control for his plummeting presidential campaign on the other.

About this, though, I am a great deal more cynical:

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is pledging to repeal the alternative minimum tax and hold down government spending with vetoes and line-item-veto authority.

The Arizona senator, in remarks prepared for delivery Monday evening to the Economic Club of Southwest Michigan, promised to eliminate the alternative minimum tax, which he said would affect as many as thirty million people by 2010. The tax was originally intended to make sure the wealthy do not exploit tax loopholes.

“I am committed to repealing this tax before millions of American families are forced to devote even more of their hard work to paying for the spending largesse in Washington,” McCain said in excerpts from his speech released by his campaign.

McCain said he would fight for line-item veto power, which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional, but wouldn’t hesitate to use the veto as it now exists to crack down on spending.

Sailor’s focus on the AMT is where I smell the rat.  Ed rightly points out that precisely because it is digging deeper and deeper into the middle class, and as such is yielding more and more revenue to federal coffers, the likelihood of any Congress, Democrat or Republican, relinquishing such a source of taxpayer money is thinner than Michael Moore passing up an extra Baconator.  Which is still greater than the chances of a GOP Congress in the near future.

As such, the same “maverick” who helped lead the “bipartisan” charge against the Bush tax cuts is effectively making a promise he would be highly unlikely to ever get the chance to keep.  Ditto the line-item veto, which has long since taken its place alongside term limits in the museum of ’90s conservative chimeras.  Or, in plain, non-Vulcan English, talk is cheap.

How does this vow to “fight” for fiscal conservatism dovetail with Darth Queeg’s long-established affection for “working with” his “good friends” on the other side of the aisle?  Or his even more indellible fondness for sticking it to his colleagues on his own side, often at their behest?  Can it not be fairly asserted that McCain is “flip-flopping” on taxes?  That he is engaging in the worst, most stereotypical sort of pandering in a desperate attempt to salvage “his turn” at the White House?

And if one of his rivals calls him on it in the next group debate, will little erupting volcanos replace his pupils and steam shoot out his ears?

That’ll be worth the price of admission all by itself.  Especially with Ron Paul having been disinvited.  Gotta get our entertainment from somewhere.