McCain Was McCain
John McCain was John McCain last night -- which is to say that he is, as always, a pedestrian speaker with a twitchy and often weird smile who delivered his bromides as if he were one of the nation's great orators. What was most peculiar was his shtick of criticizing Washington as if the Democrats had controlled it for the last eight years. But his impersonal, accountant-like tone was especially strange -- given that this was presumably the most important speech of his campaign. Maybe he just wanted to get through with the thing at age 72 without showing geriatric exhaustion. He lamely latched onto the "change is coming" mantra while tossing a few weak bleats at Obama. He never proferred a vision or a domestic agenda. He gave no sense of what his leadership was about except to suggest the 9/11 theme. At the very end, he went on a strange rant, almost shouting to the audience,something akin, in his mind, to General Patton rousing the troops. If this can be the best he can muster, he risks a downhill slide for the next 90 or so days.
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Mr. Schlesinger, when will you and your fellow journalists understand that 72 years old is not so old that one can't make a decent speech. McCain has never spoken much differently now than he did in, say, 2000. That is why Sarah is there. She is going to capture the positive energy for the Republicans. Heard YOUNG Senator Obama try to answer a simple question from Geo Stephanopolous this morning and think I might have taken a quick nap before he answered it....some
I actually didn't think the "fight" stuff was too bad, and the story about his POW experience was genuinely moving. Overall, though, there was no unifying theme. Just a lame recounting of old Republican talking points, like you said, and no real reasons offered as to why moderates and independents should support him.
Well, the rich, arrognat, selfish, corrupt party is trying to sell their "Karl Rove lies" again! This old man should be called John Bush and Palin should be called Sarah Cheney, except I don't believe she's that smart. If AMericans elect these two this country is just about finished.
Were I given the task of marketing Sen. McCain's speech as a CD, I'd select as a title, 'The Best Of John McCain'.
Well at least the nation got to see one of his beautiful houses :-)
Mc CAIN HAS NEVER RUN ANYTHING BUT A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN !!!!!
WHAT BUSINESS HAS MC CAIN RUN ????
WHERE HAS HE BEEN IN COMMAND ALONE OF ANYTHING ?????
Well, he ran a flight squadron in the 70s, but in any case, PLEASE STOP YELLING!!!!
Fred Thompson's pear of wisdon "she has political and life experience" when asked about Palin's qualifications to be VP.
Occupation experience is not the only pre-requisite to look at, but it is a start.
Professional/legal experience: 4yrs Biden, 4yrs full-time and 8yrs part-time Obama,
County government experience: 2yrs Biden,
Federal legislative experience: 36yrs Biden, 4yrs Obama, 26yrs McCain.
TV reporter: 2yrs Palin,
Small business owner: 9yrs, includes part-time work Palin,
Municipal legislative experience: 4yrs Palin,
Municipal executive experience: 6yrs Palin,
State commission experience: 1yr Palin,
State executive experience: 2yrs Palin,
Community organizer: 3yrs Obama,
Teaching experience: 11yrs part time Obama,
State legislative experience: 8yrs Obama,
Military experience: 22yrs McCain.
Sourced from Politfact a non-partisan fact check site.
Palin stands alone election day, wrap your minds around that.
already did. don't put it out of the question.
i suspect it is the long term plan all along.
As long as McCain is the white guy in this race, owns the wedge issues, and rides herd over a very selfish group of liars who needs good oratory?
Obama '08
Yup! And we 18,000,000 voters of that 39.5 mil were too busy puking in the bathroom to turn off our televisions. It was a lot of puking too.......
Gotta agree with you on that.
McCAIN was INANE and that's what we'd get for president. No thanks.
McCain and Republicans SUPPORTED BUSH for 8 YEARS!
McCain did nothing to oppose Bush trashing America and fattening the rich.
8 more years? Not. NO MORE YEARS for republicans.
The more you shout, the better your message?
Did John McCain write this nonsense himself? Matt Scully did a splendid professional job of putting barbs and zingers into the mouth of Sarah Palin - so why was McCain allowed to hit the stage with a bowl of cold porridge?
The delivery sounded authentic so my bet is that she did have a lot of help for Scully, but as to your question, zingers from McCain's mouth might be disaster. He has a sort of self-deprecating attitude about himself when he speaks, as if to say, "don't listen to my every word....."
Mac's speech was a slow slog through an off-key sing-song.
Anyone would think he does NOT plan on winning this election, delivering that mush as a presidential nominee?
He probably was reacting to the fact that he didn't write it, didn't know what he was supposed to say until they handed him that piece of crap, and delivered it like a kid forced to take the castor oil...AGAI
Unlike his co-dependent, who relished delivering what they wrote for her, he just wanted to get to the limo and get out of there.
It will be interesting IF we ever hear Palin deliver something she actually wrote herself, without editing by the handlers.
In fact, it would have been only fair and right that she make her debut with her own words, but this is the scripted rethugs and we'll never know if she can think for herself.
McCain was as unwatchable as Dukakis or Mondale. I used to think Bush was a horrible speaker, but he's an orator next to McCain, who may be one of the worst, most inarticulate public speakers in American history. Unbelievable!
Odd, wasn't it? Also I wondered if he and his running mate were on the same ticket. This is one weird presidential race.
Normal McCain, nothing to say and saying it monotone what he does say. Obama is going to eat him alive in the debades.
Mac will probably wear an ear piece with Rove handing him his quick one-liner retorts.
McCain thinks leadership is something you buy in a bottle ... just the fact that he calls himself a maverick is proof he's not a leader. Mavericks tend to be called mavericks because they're out there alone not because others follow them.
I can understand McCains envy jealousy and pseudo disdain for Obama who seems to be a natural leader having built a ground up organization that has challenged establishment politics(and credit where credit its not just Obama ... he's surrounded himself with more than capable people but the focal point is Obama).
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