Steve Schmidt sent "Country First vs. Self-Serving Partisanship" to reporters Thursday, The Politico reports. He describes Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee, as someone who has always put himself and his party first, contrasted with McCain, a war hero who has been willing to cross party lines.

"When John McCain was offered early release as a prisoner of war, he refused, subjecting himself to torture rather than give a propaganda victory to his captors," Schmidt said. "Is it any wonder that during the Republican primary, John McCain was working with Democrats and talking about the need for comprehensive immigration reform?"

Other McCain supporters have already put the strategy into practice. Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff to President George Bush, attacked Obama as self-centered in an op-ed piece Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.