Some decades ago, Kenny Rogers had a very popular hit titled "Lucille."  It was about a woman who left her husband at a rather bad time: 

You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field
I've had some bad times, lived through some sad times
But this time your hurting won't heal
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille

To say the least, Senator McCain picked a fine time to leave us.

Early in the morning, Senator McCain cast the key vote that turned a small victory into an embarrassing defeat.  It went down 51-49, leaving everyone stunned and some partisans cheering.

To be fair, Senator McCain made a couple of good points, but he picked the wrong time to make them.

No, this is not a perfect bill.  We all knew that, but the objective was to move the ball forward, not score a 99-yard touchdown pass.  The GOP was hoping to move the ball and either score or get a field goal...but score.  McCain killed that!   

Yes, as the Senator said, it would be nice to have open debates on the U.S. Senate floor.  Unfortunately, debate can happen only when the other side has a counter-proposal or something to say beyond "people will die."   

Senator McCain should have known that the Democrats do not have the courage to tell us about the tax increases required to save Obamacare and the exchanges.    

So here we are after Senator McCain allegedly huddled with the 48 Democrats last night to explain his vote.

Last, but not least, Senator McCain ran for re-election in 2016 as a staunch critic of Obamacare.  Wonder how some in Arizona feel this morning?

Over the years, I have stood with Senator McCain when some on our side attacked him.  I voted for him in 2008 and supported his re-election when he was challenged in the Arizona primary.    

However, he really lost me over this.  It's hard to see how any explanation explains this vote.  There is a time to be a maverick, but this is not it!  

As the song goes, "this time the hurting won't heal."

We wish Senator McCain well.  He faces serious health challenges, but a lot of us won't forget what he did this time.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.