John McCain's pal 'Joe the Plumber' is a tax delinquent

Like most Americans, plumber Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, would not be hurt by Barack Obama's plans to raise taxes on people making more than $250,000. Wurzelbacher, nonetheless, remains concerned that the Democrat's plan would make it more difficult for him to buy the business where he works.

He was able to confront the Illinois senator directly. Republican John McCain heard about this and used "Joe the Plumber" in what I thought was a successful attempt to paint his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal. Wurzelbacher's name was mentioned at least 20 times in the debate last night.

So, who is this guy? For one thing, Wurzelbacher is not a licensed plumber, though he claims that is not necessary, according to The Washington Post. According to Bloomberg News, Wurzelbacher owes almost $1,200 in back income taxes. By the way, experts agree that the vast majority of Americans will see their taxes get lowered under the Illinois senator's proposal. Nonetheless, Joe remains concerned.

"You see my house. I don't have a lot of bells and whistles in here, really," the Post quotes the plumber as saying. "My truck's a couple of years old and I'm going to have it for the next 10 years probably. So I don't see [Obama] helping me out."

Most Americans disagree with Wurzelbacher, whose 15 minutes of fame surely have expired by now. Obama's economic message appears to be resonating with voters. Poll after poll shows him increasing his lead over McCain, who is getting desperate -- which means voters unfortunately have not heard the last about Joe the Plumber.

Thank goodness, the race is almost over.