Amongst the various soundbytes and slogans tossed around during the Republican National Convention, one was repeated more than most. "Country First" emblazoned the podiums, stages and screens of McCain's political spectacle. It was the clearest articulation of the candidate's patriotism, defined negatively against that of his rival; unlike Obama, McCain placed his country ahead of the presidential race.
Such a conceit appeals to the cynic in all of us. McCain claims to place "his country ahead of the presidential race", in effect, to win the presidential race. Only the most blinkered partisan fails to see this. And perhaps McCain himself was inadequately lulled into the suspension of disbelief. His antics ahead of the still uncertain (at the time of writing) first presidential debate not only complicated delicate political negotiations in Washington, but they also betrayed the Republican's fragile confidence in his own campaign.
By calling for the ludicrous "suspension" of his campaign in a time of crisis, McCain placed his campaign's rhetoric - his presidential pitch - before his country. He barely spoke at the White House meeting that his insistence provoked. Obama, torn from his debate preparations by McCain's gambit, supposedly peppered with questions the treasurer Henry Paulson, whose controversial bailout plan for Wall Street remains to be agreed. Neither McCain's presence - nor Obama's - abetted negotiations. Instead, it has widely drawn the ire of politicians, annoyed that the imperatives of the presidential race have disrupted an already precarious political process.
Worse for McCain's ill-timed intervention is the civil war within his own party. House Republicans have revolted against the bailout deal. They know that their conservative constituents see an ideological betrayal in using tax-payer money to rescue Wall Street. The bailout negotiations expose that great paradox of the Republican party - that it can manage to maintain its populist credentials while serving big business. Yesterday, Paulson reportedly knelt before Nancy Pelosi, the House's top Democrat, pleading for her help. She shrugged the treasurer away: “It’s not me blowing this up, it’s the Republicans.”
There will be no "mission accomplished" photo-op for McCain. His seemingly selfless act is not seen as patriotic. Rather, it is a nuisance. Did he truly believe that he could parachute himself into the ship of state and guide the country to safe shores? If so, that smacks of hubris and a lack of political nous. But it would be altogether worse if, on the other hand, he and his advisers thought this was the best course of action to turn the political debate back from thorny issues (like the "economy") to notions of character (like McCain's maverick patriotism). In either case, the McCain campaign is now in troubled waters.