The Latest "Finger in the Eye"?

There always seems to be at least one "mavericky" Republican out there. First it was McCain. Then it was Chuck Hagel. Lincoln Chafee, too - he'd probably have to be thrown into the mix. The closest thing to a maverick currently out there (and, yes, keep in mind, the Republicans, as a whole, have majorly drifted right) would probably have to be Alaska's Lisa Murkowski. Not, mind you, that the woman was ever a hard-core rightie (her American Conservative Union voter rating of 68% is considered inadequate by most conservative organizations) but ever since that tea party challenge/her emergence as an independent Republican, she has voted to a) repeal don't ask/don't tell, b) in favor of the President's nuclear arms control treaty, c) against ethanol subsidies and the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and d) for the Dream Act, an expansion of SCHIP, and the the Offshore Product and Safety Act. Yes, she did vote against repealing the oil subsidies (special tax breaks is probably a more accurate description) and in favor of repealing Obamacare but, as a person overall that the Democrats can work with (and, yes, maybe even convert someday) from time to time, Lisa Murkowski looks like at least a semi-reliable candidate...................................................................................................P.S. And she obviously doesn't like Sarah Palin. That alone would seem to be sufficient to some of these folks.