McCain's Bid For President

According to the Washington Post, Senator John McCain is calling for bipartisanship in his presidential bid:

And, in sharp contrast to the more conservative rhetoric he has favored recently, McCain called for a new spirit of "common sense" and bipartisanship to solve the nation's biggest challenges.

Good for him. But why is McCain's call for cooperation described as a "sharp contrast" to conservative rhetoric? Shouldn't conservative voices be characterized by this common sense approach? Maybe we're getting back to our roots.