“You know, I’ve been called a maverick, someone who marches to the beat of his own drum,” he said. “ Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it’s not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.”

McCain paid only the most fleeting tribute to Bush, not even using his name. “I’m grateful to the president for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable,” he said at the opening of his speech.

McCain defined bipartisanship as not only working with the opposite party but being prepared to work against his own, even though he is aligned with Bush on two of the biggest issues facing the country: the Iraq war and the economy.

That pledge of political independence and bipartisanship could prove especially valuable at a time when the Republican Party is so unpopular.