Is John McCain using steroids in baseball as his champion issue to put himself at the front of the line for a 2008 presidential bid?

Amid revelations about baseball’s biggest names, McCain has threatened to push legislation early next year if Major League Baseball and the players do not clean up their act. McCain long has advocated harsher penalties for athletes caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

The three-term senator from Arizona has earned a reputation as a go-to lawmaker, tackling campaign finance, the war on Iraq, federal spending and climate change.

It’s little wonder that his foray into the baseball scandal has revived Republican speculation about McCain and the 2008 presidential race.

Somehow, I doubt this is going to be the issue that elevates McCain as a potential frontrunner for the GOP in 2008. There are bigger issues that affect a lot more people than steroids in baseball.