The clearest equivalent to McCain’s bizarre and cynical proposal to “suspend” the campaign must be Jimmy Carter’s 1980 refusal to leave the Rose Garden until the hostages were released.
I think that most Americans saw that for what it was: a bizarre and cynical refusal to engage political opponents (such as Ted Kennedy, who challenged him in the primary), and a sign of a weakened and indecisive leader. And they were right. I hope that they see the same thing here.