It’s going to be fascinating to see how John McCain plans to campaign with a hidden running mate. As far as I can tell, Sarah Palin has spent the last three days hiding in a hangar at the Philadelphia airport, with occasional jaunts out to visit an Irish Pub or whatever. Who knows what she’s up to? She certainly isn’t talking to the press or making any campaign appearances. Meanwhile, Obama and Biden are campaigning in Virginia and North Carolina today.

In losing the foreign policy debate to Obama last night, McCain lost a chance to create doubts about Obama’s experience an readiness for the job. It’s very interesting to see how the right-wing is attempting to retain some of their failed talking points. Look at National Review Online, for example:

Two quick points on the debate:

Obama inexplicably chose to feed the narrative that he’s smug, arrogant and condescending by repeatedly referring to McCain as “John” and by his behavior while McCain was speaking; on the split screen Obama’s expression was one of disdain and he had a tendency to interrupt and talk over McCain as McCain was trying to wrap up a point. Not necessarily in the same league with Gore’s repeated sighing, but off-putting enough.

Second, at the very end Obama seemed to be going for a big finish. He talked about his father from Kenya “writing letter after letter” trying to come to college in the U.S., because in no other country on Earth could one make it like here—”our ideals and values inspired the world.” Powerful stuff.

But then Obama concludes by saying ” I don’t think any of us can say that our standing in the world now, the way children around the world look at the United States, is the same. ” CLANG. He then states, reminiscent of Kerry’s “Global Test”, that we need to “show the world that we will invest in education” and “things that will allow people to live their dreams”.

The Obama campaign spent months countering Michelle Obama’s ” for the first time in my life I’m proud of my country ” statement and then Obama himself suggests our ideals and values don’t inspire the world, and that we ourselves realize our values and ideals are suspect.

And, then, to drive home the point:

Insulting the values and ideals of America may be fashionable in the salons occupied by William Ayers and Rev. Wright. It may be a matter of course at swanky fundraisers in San Francisco attended by pampered glitterati. But it’s not something likely to fly with those who expect their president to have unwavering pride in America and the sacrifices of its best and bravest.

One thing that has surprised me about McCain’s campaign is that it has adopted so many of the same arguments that did not work for Hillary Clinton. I know it’s kind of obvious to question Obama’s experience and to raise questions about his Americanism and patriotism, but these critiques are not enough and they won’t be enough. Obama demonstrates that he is qualified every day, by the way his campaign operates with such professionalism to the way Obama conducts himself and answers questions. And that impression of Obama swamps these little pinprick attempts to paint him as unpatriotic. Plus, the racist and xenophobic undertones of these attacks do not go unnoticed by Latinos, Asians, and other people of color. Consolidating the Bubba vote isn’t a cost-free enterprise. It didn’t work for Clinton and it won’t work for McCain.

McCain likes to throw hail marys. Maybe he will cancel the vice-presidential debate. Maybe he will offer every voter $10,000 in cash. I don’t know what he will do. But I don’t think he has any good options at this point.