THE ONLY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LOSER MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THE WINNER:

The fight's back in John McCain: The Arizona senator - and political celebrity - takes a spot on the front lines of the Republican Party's opposition to Obama. He's bipartisan no more, especially on healthcare. (Janet Hook, December 7, 2009, LA Times)

Soon after the Senate opened its long-awaited debate on healthcare legislation last week, John McCain strode into the chamber to spearhead his party's opposition to the massive bill. He offered Republicans' first amendment and leveled the party's most politically stinging charge -- that cuts in Medicare spending would hurt the elderly.

A day later, McCain took the lead in grilling President Obama's team on its newly minted plan for the Afghanistan war. Why, McCain pressed, had the president set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops?

"A withdrawal date only emboldens Al Qaeda and the Taliban," he said.

He's been down, he's been out, but the Mac is back.