Post Speech Random Thoughts (Wizbang)

I thought McCain's speech was good. Tonight's format was not McCain's best, but I expect he will do very well in the debates, especially if there is a townhall style one and I really like that tonight he showed more of what makes him tick than ever before. My one worry is that it was too long and that many may have missed the ending, which I found to be the most powerful. Here is a moving email from a reader (trzupr) posted at Dirty Harry's Place:

I apologize in advance for the length of this. And, for a change, I will not make another vain attempt to be the biggest wise-ass on the block. But, I was moved tonight.

I was prepared to be disappointed. I was sure I would be. I was another "hold my nose and vote" McCain supporter who found the "maverick" (or, as one of the signs said: 'mavrick') persona tiresome. And, through the first half of his speech, I thought 'same old, same olllllld'.

And I was wrong.

It is remarkable how trial and tribulation can shape a man - how the ultimate test can shape the ultimate in character and redemption. The passion with which he told of his stay in the Hanoi Hilton, and how that experience shaped him, left me sure that I now know the man. It left me feeling - quite frankly - ashamed about my faulty judgments. Here is a man with whom I might disagree on this issue or that, but HERE IS A MAN. A man of conviction. A man of courage. A man of passion. A man of honor.

He will have my vote, with pride. More importantly, he will have my eternal gratitude - though that is but a small repayment. And he will have this, not because he was shot down, not because he was imprisoned, tortured, humiliated, broken, emaciated and all the rest of it. He will have my gratitude because this remarkable man had the courage to walk away from that experience determined to make the world better, willing to forgive his tormentors, and more certain than ever that peace, liberty and freedom are worth the sacrifice. And because, he knows - as only those who have been there know - that you do everything you are humanly able to do in order to look out for those who have chewed on the same dirt as you.

His opponent, I am certain, understands none of these concepts. These ideas would mean nothing to him. His supporters, I am sure, will react to this speech by continuing to belittle McCain for "exploiting his imprisonment".

Well, screw you, you sorry sum-a-bitches. And God Bless you John McCain.

And

Thank you.

More random thoughts... I thought McCain responded well to the Code Pinkos in the convention center, but it made me wonder how the heck they manage to get in. I wonder what people, real people watching at home, not partisan ones like me, think when there are jerks interrupting the speech like that.

One more thought...McCain's 96-year-old mom looks amazing. There has been a lot of talk about his age, but if he takes after his mom he should be good for two full terms with no problem.

Transcript of speech here.

More reaction from Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, Melanie Morgan, and Betsy Newmark.

Gateway Pundit has information about the Obama bundler that stormed the convention speech.

Scott Elliott talks about how the speech might impact the race at Election Projection.

Comments (7)

All props to trzupr, but Mc... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Mark Ducharme | September 5, 2008 2:24 AM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)

Mark Ducharme

All props to trzupr, but McCain is still the guy who said, "If they want a ***damn fence, we'll build the ***damn fence!" -or words to that affect. And he still did "McCain/feingold" and McCain/kennedy" and "The Gang of 14" and he perpetuated one of the biggest myths in modern history by ripping W/F.E.M.A. for Katrina.

The list goes on and on but suffice it to say, I'm with Hugh Hewitt when he says, "Great American. Great war hero. Lousy Senator. Lousy 'conservative'. Lousy republican." Mrs. Palin is the reason I am energized because she actually gives me hope that she can influence the old sellout.

That's alot of hope to invest in one person I know, but I really think she can do it, if she tries. They're gonna win this thing, and if McCain shows some anticomprimising political guts, and turns her loose in front of a camera when harry -the basturd- reid is stonewalling another Estrada, or Rogers-Brown, then the conservative agenda might move forward.

But first, she has to convince him that conservatism is all cool and mavericky and "the kids really like it!", just like "the daily show".

Posted on September 5, 2008 02:24

Good thoughts, thanks for s... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by KnightHawk | September 5, 2008 2:55 AM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

KnightHawk:

Good thoughts, thanks for sharing the email says it all.

Palin/McCain 2008 ;)

Posted on September 5, 2008 02:55

John McCain issued a very g... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Mike G in Corvallis | September 5, 2008 3:43 AM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

Mike G in Corvallis:

John McCain issued a very gracious congratulatory statement on the occasion of Barack Obama winning his party's nomination for president.

The next day, one of Obama's spokesmen promised that Obama would issue a similar statement for McCain.

Did he?

I haven't seen any reports of one, and YouTube doesn't seem to have anything. But we do know that Obama demanded that his interview with O'Reilly be tonight, to counter-program McCain's acceptance speech.

Hmm.

Posted on September 5, 2008 03:43

I would dearly love for som... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Mr. Right | September 5, 2008 4:39 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Mr. Right:

I would dearly love for someone to investigate further how these malcontent nitwits kept getting into the convention center to disrupt at key moments.

Maybe some of our famous Minnesota bloggers can check into it.

Why do I get the feeling that somehow some members of the esteemed media have their fingerprints on this little fiasco? It's either that or disgruntled Ron Paul delegates. Those are the only answers that would seem to make any sense.

Who else could manage to pass off credentials that might get these bozos past security AND would have something to gain by doing so? Are left wing bloggers being allowed in with access to such credentials, because they shouldn't be (especially if John Hawkins is being kept out for opposing McCain for crying out loud)!

Come to think of it, didn't some Code Pinko idiots disrupt Bush's speech at the last convention as well ? What was the final determination on how they got in last time and how in the world could they have been allowed to pull it off yet again?

I smell a rat here and someone needs to see who's leaving out the cheese! This could get very dangerous in a hurry if the wrong nutjob manages to get close enough to someone important, and in a setting like that, all the important figures are not always on the stage, they are very often right out there on the floor!

THIS NEEDS TO STOP --- AND RIGHT NOW!!!

Posted on September 5, 2008 04:39

More importantly, ... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by jpe | September 5, 2008 6:37 AM | Score: -1 (3 votes cast)

jpe:

More importantly, he will have my eternal gratitude - though that is but a small repayment.

One should vote for a candidate based on whose policies are better for the country, rather than which was a POW. That won't change whom the speaker's vote, but the above is deeply flawed nonetheless.

Posted on September 5, 2008 06:37

How did the code pinkers ge... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by moseby | September 5, 2008 7:23 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

moseby:

How did the code pinkers get in? Shit like that slithers under the door....

Posted on September 5, 2008 07:23

One should vote for a ca... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by JLawson | September 5, 2008 7:39 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

JLawson:

One should vote for a candidate based on whose policies are better for the country, rather than which was a POW.

That's true to an extent, jpe - but if that candidate explains WHY he formulated his stand the way he did, and his reasons include his past experiences - which I think you'll agree are usually formative for political opinions - then his POW time DOES become relevant.

As it is, after comparing Obama on O'Riley last night with John McCain - well, I don't see it as much of a contest. Even one on one, Obama doesn't come off well in an unscripted setting when his handlers can't set the agenda. He's been pushed way above his pay grade, and I don't think he can handle anything unexpected at all...

So - who would I rather see handling the 3 A.M. phone call? McCain - because I don't think he'll fumble the emergency, whatever it might be.

Posted on September 5, 2008 07:39