McCain is loathesome. And, it’s not just fellow Republicans who despise him. But, if the hard core GOPers want to hate their front runner, who are we to stop them:

But Sen. McCain still confronts a problem both in the remainder of the nomination race, and, if he wins, in the fall: He is simply loathed by many fellow Republicans, often for the very bipartisanship and maverick streak that attracts independents. His biggest, and perhaps final, test comes Tuesday, when 21 states hold contests — most of them open only to Republican voters. “So it is over. Finished. In November, we’ll be sending out our most liberal, least trustworthy candidate,” conservative author and talk-radio personality Michael Graham said on a conservative blog, reacting to Sen. McCain’s third primary victory, two days ago in Florida.

The right wingers have reason to loathe McCain. They know enough not to trust him. This matters because it is the hard core base that does the work at election time. McCain is not their guy. GOPers are good at imposing discipline on their minions. But, the minions have spent a lot of time and energy hating McCain. More after the break.

Last year, back when McCain was the initial GOP front runner Vanity Fair profiled him. Besides delving into McCain’s notorious temper, the article made it clear that McCain isn’t quite the straight talker he purports to be. On the social issues near and dear to the hearts of the right wingers, McCain is a pretender:

“Yes, he’s a social conservative, but his heart isn’t in this stuff,” one former aide told me, referring to McCain’s instinctual unwillingness to impose on others his personal views about issues such as religion, sexuality, and abortion. “But he has to pretend [that it is], and he’s not a good enough actor to pull it off. He just can’t fake it well enough.”

Right wing News Max, a publication to which we would usually never link, has written several blistering pieces on McCain. It’s worth a look just to see how deep the hatred is. An August 2006 article about McCain’s notorious temper even pondered if McCain was “healthy enough to serve?” No love there.