Welcome Back, McCotter!

The latest sign that Republicans' dissatisfaction with their emerging presidential field is going to draw out some odd and interesting characters is the news that Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) is considering a run for president. The Washington Times reports that some people up on the Hill consider McCotter a dark-horse contender and a solid conservative. (Presumably, these are not just people who work for McCotter.) The Times supports this claim by pointing out that McCotter made waves a couple years ago when he led the Republican opposition to the dreaded TARP bill. A more trustworthy source, The Almanac of American Politics, says McCotter has only "a moderate-to-conservative voting record," and, rather than dwell on his TARP vote, highlights his "avid" rock-and-roll fandom, the Beatles poster on his congressional office wall, his penchant for quoting song lyrics, and his guitar prowess, which he employs in "a bipartisan rock and roll band." Also, he is said to have "a quirky sense of humor." Sounds like a hoot! Anyway, the important point here is that McCotter was once somewhat prominent, then wasn't very prominent, and now is contemplating a presidential run, which would put him back in the headlines, to which -- see how I've set this up? -- I can only respond, "Welcome Back, McCotter!"

Update: Zany! He's on Twitter.

Nostalgia Update: The horrible/infectious "Welcome Back" theme song hit #1 this week in 1976