There isn't anything left of the old American tradition -- practiced by such figures as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln -- of not directly campaigning for the presidency. (Indirectly was always a different story.) But perhaps there are traces of that long-lost ethos in the veepstakes, where it is seen as unbecoming to directly campaign for the running mate slot.

But maybe that's a vanishing tradition too:

In truth, Romney has nothing to do with this. (Or does he ...?) These signs have been spotted around McCain's Virginia HQ and in Washington.