Walter Shapiro: "His acceptance speech Thursday night was a mirror of McCain the
contradictory political figure -- sometimes unorthodox and daring,
sometimes plodding and pedestrian; rich in character, light in policy
substance, much stronger in its sincere tone than in its rhetorical
gloss."
Joe Klein: "More a valedictory than an acceptance speech -- more the end of a career than the beginning of a presidency."
Andrew Sullivan: "Quite a deflation after the drama of last night with the
sportscaster-governor. It made me realize how much I am still fond of
this guy. And also clearer about why this is not his moment. The
specifics were very vague, and the entire presentation based on
biography, nostalgia and a kind of strained, exhausted mildness. His
performance at Saddleback was much, much better. He seemed very tired
to me."
Jonathan Martin: "McCain hit all his message targets, eschewing partisan red meat to cast
himself as a man who will work across party lines to reform a broken
capital. But his delivery, especially in the first portion when he was
discussing policy issues, was uninspired and did little to captivate
the audience."
Michael Crowley: "...this is a very underwhelming speech. Familiar points explained in
pedestrian terms. No overarching themes--right now it's sounding like a
State of the Union laundry list. Even the crowd in the hall isn't
jazzed. This is the sort of reception Tom Ridge got."
David Corn: "He offered an unexciting mix of GOP orthodoxy and declarations of
personal maverickness--which was capped by yet one more long and
detailed recounting of his POW days of forty years ago. Enough already."
Mark Halperin: "All in all, he came across as calm, honorable, and dedicated rather than fired up and ready to go."
September 5, 2008
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