To the surprise of no one, Sen. John McCain , the Republican Party’s frequent goad and sometimes hero, continues to go his own way.

On Thursday, for instance, McCain broke with his party’s strategy on the fiscal 2010 budget resolution and offered a full substitute proposal.

House Republicans were pressing a comprehensive, leadership-blessed alternative to the Democrats’ budget in that chamber, but Senate GOP leaders had decided to attack the Democrats’ proposal amendment by amendment.

That didn’t suit McCain. He argued that an alternative should be offered to show the public that Republicans have a vision for the country.

His proposal — which the Senate rejected by 38-60 on Thursday — focused on reducing spending and providing more tax breaks, a policy Democrats argued would shortchange key programs and keep the economy in the ditch.

It called for $17.5 trillion in spending over the next five years, $1.15 trillion less than Obama’s plan, $776 billion less than the House budget and $435 billion less than the Senate blueprint, according to a chart provided by McCain’s office.

Most of his cuts focused on entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, spending $922 billion less than Obama over the next five years on those and other entitlement programs and $3.1 trillion less over 10 years, according to his office. It also sought to extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and keep discretionary spending at lower levels than in the Democrats’ plans.

“Tough decisions have to be made,” McCain said on the floor Thursday.

Three of his Senate GOP colleagues apparently didn’t think much of his budget decisions, however. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, along with Bob Corker of Tennessee, joined Democrats in opposing McCain’s substitute.