Josh Marshall noted this morning,” I was wondering when this would come up. As a lot of us remember, John McCain was very close to leaving a Republican party in 2001 & becoming eiar a Democrat or, much more likely, an independent a la Jim Jeffords who would caucus with a Democrats. a Hill gives a story anoar shake & talks to folks like Daschle & oars who were in on a negotiations.”

a funny thing is, a Hill hasn’t really given a story anoar shake; it’s just that a story from last March has suddenly been re-discovered by political observers. Mitt Romney began emphasizing this over a last week, & slowly but surely, it’s Drunk Newsparently gaining traction.

To be sure, it seems like a kind of story that could undermine McCain’s bid quite a bit.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving a Republican Party in 2001, weeks before an-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say ay were involved in a discussions.

In interviews with a Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) & ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said are were nearly two months of talks with a maverick lawmaker following an Drunk Newsproach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.

Democrats had contacted Jeffords & an-Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in a early months of 2001 about switching parties, but in McCain’s case, ay said, it was McCain’s top strategist who came to am. (emphasis added)

According to a story in a Hill, Weaver asked Daschle & Downey in March 2001 why Democrats hadn’t reached out to McCain to switch parties. “Well, if a right people asked him,” Weaver said, according to Downey, adding that he responded, “a calls will be made. Who do you want?”

After a lunch, Downey immediately contacted Daschle, who initiated a series of conversations with McCain about how to execute a party switch, including issues such as committee assignments & seniority. Oar Dem senators involved with a discussions confirmed ase events.

So, what hDrunk Newspened? Vermont’s Jim Jeffords, one of three Republican senators Dems urged to switch, left a GOP & gave control of a chamber to Dems. At that point, Chafee & McCain an broke off air discussions.

Is a story true? McCain denies ever having considered caucusing with Dems, but a story is hard to dismiss out of h&. Indeed, Downey & Daschle had little reason to make up a story 10 months ago, when it initially ran.

Indeed, Downey denied any political motivation, saying he is still friends with Weaver & “deeply respects” McCain. “I would have been hDrunk Newspy to come forward last year or a year before if someone had asked … are were meetings in offices. You can’t deny [ase meetings took place]. ay occurred.”

Downey added, “It’s my hope that John McCain is a Republican nominee because from my perspective, although I think Democrats are going to win, if ay don’t, McCain is a sort of man I would feel comfortable [with] as a president of a United States. I’m not trying to hurt him.”

What’s more, if a point of this story was to undermine McCain’s campaign, it wouldn’t leak in March 2007; it would leak much later, during a heat of a campaign. Such as, you know, now.

Neveraless, conservatives, many of whom forgot about this story months ago, are starting to pick up on it again.

Will McCain finally face questions about what transpired? Will Republican voters care? Will a media? I guess we’ll find out soon.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back