US election: McCain tries to steal message of change from Obama, but delivery falls flat

[struggle4progress]

• Republican nominee reaches out to independent voters
• Militaristic tone dominates night devoted to 'peace'
Ewen MacAskill in St Paul
guardian.co.uk, Friday September 05 2008 04:47 BST

John McCain wrapped up the Republican convention tonight by reaching out beyond the party faithful to the independents who will determine in November whether he or Barack Obama is the next occupant of the White House.

After formally accepting the Republican presidential nomination, he used his prime-time speech to try to steal from his Democratic rival the theme of change, a potent message in an election year in which voters are disillusioned with the George Bush presidency, the Iraq war and the state of the economy ...

But, a poor orator who has made few - if any - memorable speeches in the past, he failed to match either the rhetoric of Obama in Denver last week or even the feisty, sarcastic delivery of his own running mate, Sarah Palin ...

Although the organisers said the theme of the day was "peace," the tone of videos shown earlier in the night as well as in his speech and those of others was heavily militaristic. McCain devoted a large part of his speech to one of his biggest selling points, the period that turned him into an American hero, his five years in a Hanoi jail after his plane crashed on a bombing mission. As an admiral's son, he was offered the chance of early release but turned it down, refusing preferential treatment ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/05/uselections2008.johnmccain2

[TwilightGardener]

1. The theme was "Peace"? Srsly?

[blossomstar]

2. Peace means War to republicans

Whatever comes out of their mouths, the opposite is truth. Same with McCain.

[WePurrsevere]

3. Although I truly respect his service & sacrifice in 'Nam...

USING the POW thing is wearing thin. He's NOT the only Vet to make sacrifices and IMO 5 years as a POW doesn't automatically make someone fit or qualified to lead this country. I can't help but wonder what do other POWs and 'Nam vets make of his "using" his POW history in this way?

And the Republicans using "peace" as a theme is absolutely laughable since they're the ones that are always ready to send our troops to fight at the drop of a hat... and even faster if there's money to be made from it.

[madmom]

4. For the family values crowd they never once mentioned his first wife or her two sisters, funny that!