McCain Fails to Deliver Any Tropic Thunder
For all the hullabaloo about whether John McCain would match Sarah Palin's performance at the Republican convention, it wasn't even close. Where was the tropic thunder? McCain may have ended his speech with a Knute Rockne-like cry for Americans to fight and fight some more -- for what he never really said -- but most of his speech was a snooze, delivered in the tone of a kindly old uncle reminiscing about World War II before fretting about how how those pesky Russians are stirring up trouble again.
McCain's answer to America's woes seems to be a program of self-improvement -- "serve a goal greater than yourself," he suggested. But he never really explained what that goal might be. After eight years of the Bush administration running two wars without demanding an iota of sacrifice, indeed passing lavish tax cuts, McCain's exhortations could hardly have sounded more empty. In fact, to judge by McCain's talk, the only problem America seems to suffer from is that "some Republicans" -- once again, no names here -- succumbed to the temptation of "corruption." Well, yes. But it was the Bush administration's disdain for government that turned the Iraq War, among other things, into a free-for-all for contractors.
America's economic troubles barely even merited a nod, apart from vague promises to somehow emancipate America from Middle East oil. No doubt Sarah Palin will be offering some pointers in coming days about how Alaska can single-handedly solve that conundrum.
McCain clearly implied that he would like to resurrect the GOP in his own image. But so far, the only thing he has been resurrecting is the religious right by selecting Palin as his sidekick. He tried to make a virtue out of her ignorance, depicting her as a kind of freedom-fighter ignorant of Washington's corrupt ways who would help cleanse it. But for the most part, it hardly seemed like McCain's heart was even in his speech. Was tonight's more moderate version the real McCain? Maybe even he can't tell any longer.
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I just wish -- if it was SOOO bad -- that Obama wouldn't have dropped to even in the latest CBS Poll. That troubles me.
Where are these polls conducted? Are they state wide or nation wide?
it was past his bedtime. That was the problem.
This was the most horrific acceptance speech I have heard in the last 45 yrs. If any Independents or fence sitters are inclined to now vote republican, it would be because of some infatuation with Sarah Palin and not McCain. Putting in mildly, they would be hoping for McCain to be incapacitated in some way so Sarah can take the helm. As ridiculous as this would be, I can think of no other reason.
The McAint & McMoose ticket is the biggest joke presented to the America people since Perot/Eagleburger.
People should take a look at the gruesome twosome and figure it out. They think they would elect McCain? He's an old man who moves like every step is his last. I am going to record his speech to listen over and over again. I saw everyone in the audience snoozing, and I am an insomniac. He's kind of a human sleep aid!
The one with the energy in this daughter-and-dad act is Palin. McCain's health makes it probable that she would have to step in and finish the term. Sadly, her energy comes from God and she's already said that Iraq is about God. She's said our soldiers are dying at the command of Jesus. That would be a really scary way to run a country!
Let's pray common sense wins.
not that I would ever vote for Huckabee
but I do think Repubs missed a great opportunity on him
anyone else see him on Jon Stewart show last night?
the guy is shockingly honest and likable
Huckabee is not nice, AT ALL. He is the jerk who made a very sinister comment regarding Obama.
The rhetoric was sandwiched between calls for military action. The RNC, taken in its entirety, book ended McCAin's life between two wars. John McCain is steeped in a deep sense of military. ..........
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but what about cindy...
upon hearing cindy...iv
i couldn't help but recall a great essay that i read many years ago from ivan illich, regarding development work...it was rather disturbing to see cindy mccain using her adopted daughter as a testement to her mother teresa procliviti
Cindy McCain's introduction to John's speech last night, singing his praises and fondling the touchstone of family values, leaves out the niggling fact that when she first met her guy, he was already married to someone else. John's speech extolling his own character, having had his self-centeredness burned out of him in Vietnam, conveniently omitted the part of the story where, when he was released and returned to the US, he also returned to womanizing and, after finding his beautiful little heiress, expeditiously dumped his wife, who had been waiting for him throughout his captivity while dealing with her own disabling injuries from a car accident.
I don't typically care to delve into the private lives of politicians, but in this case, John and Cindy are making a production out of their good-old-fashioned, God-centered family. And John is selling himself as a selfless martyr, concerned only with family and country. Here are some details about the selfless character of John McCain, in his dealings with the wife he dumped for Cindy:
http://www
If your life doesn't jibe with your advertising of it, it's best to shut up about it and highlight something else. The hypocrisy and cynicism so evident in myriad other McCain proclamations is particularly clear in this case. And the God-worshipping Repubs, so quick to attack those outside of their circle, don't care. Why not?
The speech was seven buckets of hogwash delivered with the drone of a helicopter, a very slow helicopter. If McCain wants to serve America, he should have looked in the mirror and said to himself, "Yipes, I'm way too old to do this," and then thrown his support behind someone else. McCain is a maverick suffering from delusions of self-aggra
McCain's speech amounted to telling a roomful of Republicans to throw the Republicans out of Washington. Except for him.
Jacob: You so hit right on target....
What a Speech, it really proved to me that John Mccain needs to be in one of his 11 rest homes !!!
Was anyone as disturbed as I was by his brief section about Russia? This seemed odd and almost as if he's trying to create a buzz of fear around a return to the Cold War in spite of stating that he wants to prevent this. It's as if he was planting seeds about a new old enemy. I found this, coupled with the recent assertion that Sarah Palin's foreign policy "experience" (having to do with her close location to Russia) will be helpful to be one of the most disturbing things coming from the campaign that no one is really talking about. So, the plan is prepare to invade Iran, fear the Russians, stay in Iraq and of course, continue to ignore Afghanistan?
McCain bored me once again. Can we just get some substance?
GO OBAMA!!!!!
notice the absence of tr0lls telling us we're scared now
yeah, we were so scared of the little pit bull the other night, we raised 8 million dollars
you know what we do with pit bulls in texas? we get 'em fixed
I'm an Obama Democrat, but I almost felt sad watching John McCain last night. Being one of those "bleeding hearts." He was like an old horse that tries and tries and tries to make it over the finish line but can't come up with the burst of speed. I watched the speech because he said he was offering change and I thought he might mention something -- he owned the failure of the Bush years to some extent and said things would be different with him -- but then didn't say how. He went off on this goofy tangent about if people were unemployed he'd get them new jobs. Which ones? What was he talking about? Repeating the Republican platform does not indicate change, and it's for sure none of the other speech makers did a dang thing except exhort how we should just keep pursuing the conservative agenda. And if Palin's any indication, the same mean spirited attitude. And what's the deal about the top gun on the ticket calling for people to help in the community when their running mate just got done sneering at community organizers? These folks aren't even all on the same page. No way, no how, no John McCain.
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