After watching last night’s presidential debate and then seeing the poll results afterward, I guess it should come as no surprise that John McCain has suddenly become fixated on the work of a man whose career is based on making things go down the drain.

ETA: The more we learn about Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, the worse this looks for McCain.

First, Joe might not be a struggling middle-class workman, after all. In fact, his family might already have stakes in several businesses.
ETA: Item #1 has been debunked.

Second, he’s not just an avowed McCain supporter who was looking to land a “gotcha” moment on Obama in Toledo a few days ago. According to a prominent conservative blog, he’s apparently related to Robert Wurzelbacher, one of the Keating Five, and indirectly related by marriage to Charles Keating himself.

ETA: Item #2 has also been debunked, by Keith Olbermann, no less. Apparently, the state of Ohio is knee-deep in Wurzelbachers. Who knew?

Third, he apparently misrepresented the financial prospects of his plumbing business, which will probably earn less than $250,000 per year, which means Obama’s tax plan would actually be the smarter choice for him.

Ready for the kicker? This guy who’s so worried about having to fork over an extra $0-900 per year of his quarter-million-dollar income in taxes already seems to have trouble paying his taxes. He has had tax liens filed against him for nonpayment of state taxes. Real upstanding role model there, Senator McCain. “Cogratulations, Joe! You’re a tax cheat!”