My observation of McPain: Contrarian.
In his own mind he was the great debater, the ultimate authority of virtually everything. He thrived on contrarianism. Loved having his jacket on the back of a chair across the aisle while he debated members on the side of the aisle he was allegedly a member. He really enjoyed ticking people off.
He enjoyed being the center of attention, and used his assumed contrarianism to make himself that central figure in most everything he was involved.
He was a contrarian for the purpose to be recognized as somebody. May have been because so many in his family history were everything he wasn’t.
I think so. He liked to tick people off. But the pattern was always to support the Washington Establishment and tick off people who oppose it. So he was playing the rebel and the maverick, while actually settling down in the Establishment.
McCain was a "government guy." He certainly wasn't a Tea Partier or an anti-government activist. His idea of America had a lot to do with the federal government and its powers. His idea of the federal government, though, was formed around the military, not around the social welfare establishment, and that's probably why he stayed in the GOP.
McCain was the guy who took notes when Bill Kristol or David Brooks was outlining "national greatness conservatism." That "national greatness conservatism" or "national purpose conservatism" may look a lot like "big government conservatism" or liberalism or imperialism to many people, and today it looks much more globalist than nationalist, but that's where his heart was, if it was anywhere in politics.
P.S. Do people on the Internet really believe that if they abuse some politician in every way possible, the politician will come around to the Internet posters' way of thinking? No, once you've made your attacks, you only stiffen the politician's resolve never to do what you want. I suspect McCain got great pleasure in doing just exactly the opposite of what his conservative critics wanted. If one won't bend or break when attacked, how realistic is it to expect that other people will.