In a January 28 article headlined "McCain, Long a G.O.P. Maverick, Is Gaining Mainstream Support," New York Times reporter John M. Broder asked: “Is [Sen.] John McCain [AZ], the maverick flyboy of the Republican Party, becoming the candidate of the Republican establishment?” Broder wrote that McCain “has delighted in sticking his thumb in the eye of mainstream Republicans throughout his political career,” but offered no support for this characterization. Broder is the latest in a long line of media figures who have applied the "maverick" label to McCain despite his rightward shift on high-profile issues such as immigration and the Bush tax cuts.

From the article:

Is John McCain, the maverick flyboy of the Republican Party, becoming the candidate of the Republican establishment?

Mr. McCain, who has delighted in sticking his thumb in the eye of mainstream Republicans throughout his political career, is now accumulating a base of support among party regulars who see him as the strongest general election candidate in the remaining Republican field.