I came thisclose to headlining the post “comedy gold.” What miracles hath this Hayworth primary challenge wrought!

From the man who once famously groused about conservatives’ desire to build a “goddamned fence” and then denied voting for it when pressed by Univision during the campaign, I give you John McCain — border warrior:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), under fire from the right for not being tough enough on immigration in his Senate primary race, has called on Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to dispatch National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border…

In the letter, McCain says he has supported sending troops to the border in the past.

“Unfortunately that request was rejected by this Administration,” he writes. “A year later, in light of the recent incidents and the continued growth of drug violence along the border, I am asking you and the Administration to immediately reconsider your position and send National Guard troops to our southern border region.”

“All the language he’s using is red meat for conservatives,” said Gabe Gonzalez, a national director at the Center For Community Change. “He’s getting attacks on the right, so he’s going right.”

You think? It turned out, of course, that McCain’s preferred virtual fence didn’t work, so I guess this is his attempt to stay on offense by using that horrible murder of an Arizona rancher as a way to tack right on the issue. There’s some disdain among our commenters for Hayworth too given, among other things, his previous flirtation with Birtherism, so this seems like a fine time for a reader poll. New and (temporarily) improved right-wing McCain! Good enough for reelection?