In all my years in national politics since 1982 there had been one constant until August 29. It was that the Republican party cornered the national security market. They were willing to give up advantages on healthcare, environment and, in the end, even fiscal responsibility. But never, ever, would they cede that patch of high ground they refer to as “American security”. Any time I had a race against a Republican opponent, I respected their operation. And often (I am not afraid to admit), I was scared to run against them because you knew most of the candidates were going to be selected carefully, based on a combination of experience, adherence to tradition, national security or public safety credentials. John McCain fits this profile almost to a T. Strangely, he has chosen to cede this advantage not just for himself but for the Republican party for the foreseeable future.

As they say, Republicans were willing to put “being” above “well-being”. They would say: “[Insert name of Democrat] is inexperienced. They may give you what you want on economic or social programmes, but they are not up to the task of protecting our country.” No matter how untrue or how scurrilously achieved, their branding of Democratic candidates has worked.