RNC Day 4 McCain's Acceptance

I originally wanted to compare and contrast the speeches from the two conventions along with thousands of other bloggers in the country, but that would be a cruel thing to do to the Republicans. Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama all gave much better speeches than their counterparts.

This Republican convention had its moments, introducing the firecracker Sarah Palin to the country, and John McCain's speech was much better than I thought it was going to be. His retelling of his POW imprisonment was expected, but it was more personal and revealing how he turned a tragedy into a watershed experience, something that he draws strength from to this day. To the rest of us it sounds like a broken record and pandering, but it was something that defined him as a man.

He tried to give specific things he wants to do to help the economy, but it was the weakest part of the speech. The same old retread ideas that have been put on the table before don't make the case that you are a maverick and a reformer. Besides, the original Maverick was James Garner... What's bothered me all week long is that everyone else's speeches sounded like they were trying to convince themselves that McCain was the guy to lead them, hence the militaristic and almost jingoistic tone disguised as patriotism. It was heavy-handed, though McCain did try to interject a respectful note towards his opponent.

So, instead of being demoralized, the Republicans have some hope that their candidates will give a good fight in this election. The choice for Vice President was a gut instinctual move that looks like it has payed off big time ( I still think she was Cindy's choice ), and now we will have some good debates in the near future. In my dreams I see Gore Vidal once again rising to the podium, taking on the brash, young Sarah Palin...