I've got to give McCain his due; that was a brilliantly effective acceptance speech.
He hit all the right notes to strengthen his candidacy. He hit on national security, the economy, why he was running, his character, the things he values and he distinguished himself from all of Washington, including the Republican party of the last 8 years...(I bet a lot of R incumbents aren't too happy right now).
And he did it with a real touch of sincerity, humility, and wisdom borne of years and pain in a way that came across as indicating deep strength, not weakness.
It was long on policy generalities and certain parts of the speech seemed hollow...his mentioning of three families that he said he was working for was empty of passion and his lightly mocking references to Obama weren't impressive, but the tone was just about perfect and he didn't seem old or doddering.
And listening to his speech you couldn't help "feeling" that he'd earned the office.
I think this speech, if it had the big audience of Obama/Palin speeches, will move a lot of moderates into his column and I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a single digit lead.
Obama has a lot of work to do. He has to paint a picture of the country and the world with a Republican run, McCain led government that is in sharp contrast to the one he envisions and he has to pin McCain down on the policies he'll actually follow and the counsel he'll rely upon to form and implement those policies.
I think he can do it but now I think he'll need a lot of work, a little luck and stumble or two from McCain. Ed |
