In 1873, Charles Francis Adams (son of John Quincy and father of Henry) wrote of his disgust that William Seward's nomination for the presidency in 1860 was defeated by a "person selected partly on account of the absence of positive qualities so far as known to the public, and absolutely without the advantage of any experience in national affairs beyond the little that can be learned by an occupation for two years of a seat in the House of Representatives."
I doubt that the McCain campaign will be citing this description of Abraham Lincoln.
--Richard Stern