On October 12, 2008, a "local plumber" questioned President Obama in Holland, Ohio, a battleground state. "Do you believe in the American dream?" The man asked. Obama said he did. Then Joe "The Plumber" went on to ask some confusing questions about taxes.

Who was this local fellow with such burning questions about Obama's tax plan? Well, he wasn't exactly a plumber, for one. And his name wasn't really Joe. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, he was a bit behind on his taxes. What he was, was GOP star in the making. And today, May 7th, 2009, he's left the Republican party. Et Tu, Joe? Here, we track for you his meteoric rise through the GOP-- and then out of it.

October 15, 2008, Joe The Plumber

At the third Presidential Debate, John McCain thought he'd struck gold:

"I would like to mention that a couple days ago Sen. Obama was out in Ohio and he had an encounter with a guy who's a plumber, his name is Joe Wurzelbacher."

Thus began the first of two dozen references to Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, during the 90 minute debate.

October 16, 2008, Joe The Celebrity

"I'm kind of like Britney Spears having a headache. Everybody wants to know about it."

~Joe, the day after the third debate, on how it can be tough to be him.

October 21, 2008, Joe And Friends!

McCain's voters didn't seem to love Joe (was it the Obama-Sammy Davis, Jr. comparisons?)... but Palin sure did. Soon the Vice Presidential Candidate was introducing Tito "the Builder" and Jay "the Contractor" along with Joe at rallies. It may have been that Joe was like John the Baptist to Tito's Jesus or some such similar typology. (Though Tito and Jay never seemed to quite have Joe's staying power...)

November 2, 2009, Joe The Skinhead

Soon, Joe was actively campaigning with and for John McCain, appearing on stage with him at multiple events. He has become a part of McCain's campaign, like any other surrogate. Like this stellar campaign tactic: "Joe" on TV saying that people shouldn't vote for Obama because he doubts Obama's "loyalty to America."

December 9, 2008, Joe The Victim

After the election, things turned sour.

"When I was on the bus with him [McCain], I asked him a lot of questions about the bailout because most Americans did not want that to happen... I asked him some pretty direct questions. Some of the answers you guys are gonna receive -- they appalled me, absolutely. I was angry. In fact, I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him."

~Joe on John.

January 7, 2009, Joe The Journalist

Pajamas Media, the right-leaning blog outfit, hires Joe the Plumber to be their new war correspondent in Israel. Mission statement? To let Israel's "'Average Joes' share their story."

Pictured here, "Joe" in Israel.

January 7, 2009, Joe The Denouncer

At a meeting of conservative activists in Milwaukee, Mr. The Plumber had some tough words for the RNC chairman, Michael Steele.

"Unfortunately we have a chairman up there who wants to redefine conservatism; he wants to make it hip hop, put it in a new package and sell it." Joe said, "You can't sell principles; either you have them or you don't," he added, to applause from the audience of 800 people.

May 4, 2009 Joe The Homophobe

"At a state level, it's up to them. I don't want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it's wrong. People don't understand the dictionary--it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do--what man and woman are for.... I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children."

~Joe "The Plumber" on gay marriage.

May 7, 2009 Joe The Free Agent

Joe The Plumber announced he too has had enough and is leaving the Republican party. From an interview with Time Magazine: "Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, tells TIME he's so outraged by GOP overspending, he's quitting the party -- and he's the bull's-eye of its target audience,"

What next? One thing is certain: it will almost definitely not involve laying pipe. But those of us who have followed know this will not be the end for our fearless plumber.