Steve Benen writes:

Truth be told, McCain pretty much forfeited the whole "country first" line on Aug. 29, in Ohio, when he introduced Sarah Palin as his running mate. Conservative writer David Frum wrote at the National Review that "country first" is a "good slogan," but added, "If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?"

Absolutely. Given his age and his health issues, if McCain were a responsible candidate who truly cared about this country he would've selected a much more experienced and credible #2. But instead he made the decision: "country, be damned -- I'm going for the win, no matter how craven or cynical the methods."

It's no wonder conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan was losing his you-know-what on Bill Maher's show, exclaiming "This pick disqualifies her and McCain....John McCain does not care about national security." Yeah, their side is starting to crack and unravel.