McCain comes out fighting during his speech at the RNC

Blogging from Eagan, Minnesota.

The crowd was in for a letdown last night at the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Center in St. Paul.

The build-up to Palin's speech--and the enthusiastic reception by the partisan crowd put Republican presidential nominee John McCain in a tough spot--hitting a back to back home run. But the former prisoner-of-war has been far more difficult situations.

He started off slow, calm, and modest. But that didn't stop the crowd from chanting "U.S.A, U.S.A," as well as the McCain campaign slogan, "Country First."

Although McCain spoke about family, his service in the Navy, his endurance of brutal treatment by the North Vietnamese as a POW, he turned to his life in politics, his maverick phase--which is an ongoing chapter of his life as he later went on to tell the crowd last night.

Alluding to Barack Obama's spurious claim that he works across party lines, McCain said:

The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.

Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That's how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not.

As it did many times last night, the crowd in the Xcel Center got up on its feet, and returned to the "U.S.A" chant.

McCain finished very strong, and delivered a powerful conclusion.

Fight for what’s right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God Bless you.

Half way into McCain's conclusion, the delegates and other members in the audience, including bloggers in the balcony, got on its feet, again, but this time drowned out the senator with its cheers. I didn't get to see this part of the speech during the rebroadcast, but I hope his words came across clearly to the millions watching at home.

McCain was joined on the stage by his family, and by Sarah Palin with hers. And while the balloons and confetti dropped, and John Rich's country rock tune, "Raising McCain," the campaign's theme song, blared across the speakers. Heart's "Barracuda," Palin's nickname as a high school basketball player was "Sarah Barracuda," was also played.

Reviews of McCain's speech are glowing. Here are a few comments:

CNN's Anderson Cooper: John McCain "Offered More Specifics Than We Heard" From Barack Obama. "But certainly from John McCain, we heard in his acceptance speech, a lot of specifics, arguably more specific than we heard in Barack Obama's acceptance speech. After several nights, where many commentators said were lacking in specifics." (CNN's, "CNN Election Center," 9/4/08)

Larry Sabato: "The strength of that speech was the biography part of it because it's so powerful, that story about his time in the prisoner-of-war camp. I thought he was also very credible again in his role as a maverick. That's the real John McCain. Look, do you know, this is the first time ever that I can remember or know about in history that a party nominee condemned in part his own party? He went after congressional Republicans in particular for overspending. That was all very credible." (FOX News' "America's Newsroom," 9/5/08)

The Washington Post: John McCain "Burnished His Reputation As A Truth-Teller In Congress." "He burnished his reputation as a truth-teller in Congress, telling delegates he had 'fought corruption, and it didn't matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable.'" (Robert Barnes, "'Change Is Coming,' McCain Says," The Washington Post, 9/5/08)

This was a long, but exhilarating week. And one that I will never forget. More posts are coming about the convention, but I want to thank the Republican National Committee for granting my press credentials, and making these four days one of the most memorable experience of my life. I can never completely repay the favor.

Technorati tags: Politics RNC St. Paul elections McCain Republican Sarah Palin