McCain takes the stage

Watching ABC to start, they say Mark Salter finished this speech 3 weeks ago and John McCain's been practicing ever since. They've got McCain on a runway that goes into the audience, so he'll have supportive people on three sides of him.

A clip from Cindy McCain's speech earlier tonight, looking scary in some crazy green outfit with big blonde hair. They go right into McCain's bio film, his mom saying he's a 'momma's boy'.

Some technical issues, video flickering green. POW comes right up. Lot of black and white footage. Music is very dramatic, announcer is even more so. Hmm, photo of him shaking hands with Richard Nixon.

His mom says noone else in U.S. history has ever had as much experience as him. 'Common-sense conservative' is what they call him. "He's not in it for the glory", "he's seen too much to think petty."

Pivot to Iraq, ties it to our security here at home. Father of 7, his youngest was 'discovered' as a baby in Bangladesh. They show some photos of non-whites, wonder where they got them from. "Change will come from strength".

His mom again, he'll renew America, he loves our country. Film ends, hall goes dark, words reading from his memoir ring out. "When you've lived in a box". Goes on for a minute, then spotlight, and out he comes; film narrated by Senator Thompson.

Dark suit, gold tie. Crowd gives him a loud ovation, now chants of USA. The visuals aren't stunning, like they were with Obama. He accepts the nomination, without mentioning the Republican party. One of his houses flashes on the backdrop; that's weird. There are protestors in the hall, I think--McCain votes against vets.

Hmm, that weird green background is back. Starts by talking about the candidates who opposed him; there's a young guy, Iraq veterans against war, he's off by the side holding a big sign. Thanks Bush, I think. Keeping us safe from another attack. The guy is heckling him, you can hear him in the silences, crowd tries to drown him out with USA chants. This is pretty interesting.

Thanks George W. Bush too. Odd beginning, meandering. He's squinting to read the teleprompter at times. That weird green background is still there, it's the lawn from his house or something--there are people walking up the sidewalk. So dumb.

Thanks his wife, she has the weirdest smile. Praises his mom, who stands up. 96 years young. Background changes to something else, blurry and dirty looking--ah, cornfields. I won't let you down, he says.

A very rocky beginning. Mentions Obama, you have my respect and my admiration, to tepid applause. Much more unites us than divides us, we're fellow Americans. Reads like it was just stuck in there.

Hmm, honors Senator Obama and his supporters for his achievements, but leave no doubt my friends, we are going to win this election.

He's low-energy, oddly subdued. "After we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot." Odd, Kentucky right up front. I know, these are tough times for many of you. Some woman is protesting, the crowd is booing her, she's fighting; crowd drowns her out, USA, USA, USA. Code Pink, as she's wrestled out. "Please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static".

"These are tough times for many of you"--another protestor, crowd chants USA again, drawing more attention to it. I've found the right partner, big cheers for Palin. Man, this speech is really not going anywhere, he seems out of it. Talks about Palin--hey, where's her infant, anyway? "She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down".

He says 'change is coming' with an arm gesture, it really looks pathetic, like he's trying on someone else's clothes. Applause, he looks down, waits, continues. Wow, it's really quite a bad speech. "I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party, I don't work for a special interest, I don't work for myself. I work for you."

Okay, now--tell us what you would do! Funny, this comes right after he references being a maverick, who usually are just out for themselves. Says he's fought big spenders, pork. McCain's in a very odd position, he could wind up looking second-best on his own ticket, with the constant prod of a younger, more articulate running mate reminding voters of Obama.

So far, we're 20 minutes in, it's all biography. The Dow plunged 340 points today on more bad economic news, no clue from this speech. Now on Iraq; then talks about how he's had a few tough fights in his life. Matters less that you can fight, what you fight for is the real test.

Okay, now--tell us what you would do! Names a couple from Michigan, who lost their real estate investments. Pennsylvania couple, with an autistic son. Just highlighting their woes so far, it's like he's a Democrat. Another--white--family, from New Hampshire, mentioned, now it's about how their son died in Iraq, will make sure we remain safe from our enemies.

Said Republicans were elected to change Washington, lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to corruption. Haven't freed ourselves from a dependence on foreign oil--tries to claim Obama passed a corporate welfare bill for oil companies! Wow, that doesn't wash.

Party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan is going to get back to basics. Lieberman is in the audience, laughing--not a good image.

We're all God's children and we're all Americans, he says--actually, the immigrant Latina girl he mentions, many Republicans don't see her as American. This is a very broad speech; culture of life gets a big hand. No specifics, people in the audience, including Palin, are talking during it.

It's like a laundry list of core GOP applause lines. Can't imagine any independent tuning in and finding any of it persuasive, let alone any Democrats. I wonder if the Republican spinmeisters will blame the protesters for this.

My opponent will raise taxes, my opponent will close markets, my opponent will increase spending, he'll eliminate jobs, his health care plan will force families into a government-run health care system. People in the hall boo each line, people at home wonder why none of this worked under George W. Bush. This speech is seriously a Democratic dream come true.

Now says he knows some of you feel like your government has left you behind, says he's gonna change Social Security essentially. "We'll help workers who lost a job that won't come back find a new one that won't go away."


Now he's reading the speech like he's newly-acquainted with it. It's too late, shoehorning in these economic things, tone's already been set. "Education is the civil rights issue of this new cenutry". Oh?!

Wants to shake up schools with competition, choice; "help bad teachers find another line of work." Hmm, not sure with schools just starting for the year, attacking teachers is the way to go.

Misreads a line on the teleprompter, starts over and rereads. His eyese are watering, it's odd. Crowd is a bit dispirited; Obama wants schools to answer to unions and bureaucrats, I want them to answer to parents and students. Weird that he keeps talking about Obama. Then a weird smile.

"When I'm president, we're going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades", stumbling over the words. Ah, time for energy talk--crowd starts applauding, big cheer for this. "Drill, baby, drill." And we'll drill them now. We'll build more nuclear power plants, etc. 'Electric aut-o-mo-biles'. No energy independence without more drilling and more nuclear power.

And restore the health of our planet is thrown in there as a last line. "It's an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, it's time to show the world again how Americans lead."

Wow, holy stolen from Obama!

Stumbles over reading the word 'today'. Al-Qaeda's not defeated; Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism; Russia's leaders have rejected democratic ideals. Wow, he's not really going to make this the key issue?! Goes on about Georgia, 'the brave people need our solidarity and our prayers.'

He's still talking about Georgia; a Democratic line will be he cares more about people in Georgia overseas than Americans in Georgia here. "I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it."

My god, now talking about how when he was 5, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Are you kidding, is he really going to end with this?! Talks about Vietnam, "I hate war, it's terrible beyond imagination".

"I will draw on all my experience... and all the tools at our disposal, to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace." Delegates are openly checking their cell phone and emails.

"We change things that need to be changed." Then, "we need to change the way government does nearly everything," starts listing a bunch of things that were designed before the rise of the global economy and the information technology revolution.

You have to be kidding me! He thinks people will see him as a competent steward for the information age?!

"I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not", as he's talking about his ability to change things. I cannot believe he's mentioning Obama near the end of his speech. "Let's use the best ideas from both sides", instead of fighting over who gets credit.

He'll be bipartisan, transparent, and accountable. The whole speech sounds like a me-too thing, and is really one of the worst major speeches we've heard in a while.

"I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years." But I've always been a servant. He's winding up now. "I was blessed by misfortune". "I mean that sincerely". Oh my god, he's actually finishing by talking about his POW days.

Talks about how he was a selfish rebel before that day in October when he flew over Hanoi. "I was dumped in a dark cell and left to die." He's actually very sincere here, but he should've started with this and finished with what he'll do for the country economically.

Democrats have already innoculated themselves against this, by calling him a hero, but not the man we need for these times.

Talks about how he turned down a chance to go home early, crowd gives him an ovation. Talks about being tortured, and being broken. McCain is getting very emotional, the hall is totally silent; says one of the other prisoners said nobody can ever make it alone, now get up and fight again, for your country.

Lists what he discovered he loves about America, was never the same again, "I was never my own man anymore--I was my country's." Not running for president because he thinks he's been annoited to save our country in its hour of need; people laugh. My country saved me, and I will fight for her so long as I draw breath.

He'd make a good Cabinet official in an Obama presidency. He's showing his decent side here, but it doesn't make up for his campaign and his speech to this point. Gets energized, ticks off a bunch of ways people can act to help this country.

It's 11:02, must be time to wrap up. "Fight with me, fight for what's right". Keeps talking as the crowd cheers. "Stand up, stand up and fight". Wow, this is getting weird. "We never give up, we never quit, we never hide from history, we make history." Crowd's in a frenzy, and he ends.

Very, very odd speech. A bit over 45 minutes says Charlie Gibson; it was like two different speeches. George Stephanopolous says the second part where he told his story and called people to service brought him to life.

Bob Schieffer is saying he could win, if he gets people to believe he can form some sort of unity government. Tom Brokaw says giving a big speech like this isn't really one of his strengths, but he has a lot of courage, and a compelling story. What was missing, obviously, was a lot of details. And he talks about change, but his own party has run Washington for 8 years.

Palin's out there with him now, they're waving to the crowds. Brian Williams talks about the protestors, and about how his background was again green, with the lawn. Down come the balloons.

Chuck Todd says this was supposed to be non-ideological--ha! Claims there were few barbs at Obama. Used the word change 10 times, versus 15 times for Obama. Wow, there's a lot of white people up on the stage all at once now. Todd says like most recent Republican presidents, not a great speechmaker.

Fireworks on the big screen behind them--fake fireworks for a fake convention, I guess.

An interesting postscript, from the always-insightful David Gergen writing over at CNN:

.A few thoughts as John McCain takes his bows: one cannot leave that speech without having enormous respect for him as a war hero and patriot. His retelling of his story tonight was extremely moving. I have long been a fan of John McCain the human being and I came away even more impressed tonight. It is worth remembering that a McCain has fought in every American war since 1776.

Wow; that should just be what McCain says in his ads.