The blogosphere and mainstream media descended on Toledo in the wake of the debate, and The NY Times has done the legwork to show that McCain's darling was neither Joe nor a plumber. According to The Times report, his name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, he has no plumbing license, and he owes the State of Ohio back taxes.

Samuel the unlicensed contractor with a tax lien just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Oh, and conservative analyst questionable blogger Martin Eisenstadt reports alleges that he appears to be related to Charles Keating, of the Keating Five scandal. (Update note: Whether true or not, I do take the point "Eisenstadt" argued, which is that such a claim could be made because "Joe" had not been vetted.)

Oopsie.

Update: And, says McClatchy, he's lived in Alaska...

Update 2: Eisenstadt seems to be a less than reliable source. And I should have focused on the larger point, that the unquestionably real Samuel earns less than $250K (and hence would pay less taxes under Obama's plan). Thanks to William K. Wolfrum for the Eisenstadt correction.