Before going any further here, I'm compelled to mention the television commercial that Sen. John McCain's campaign began running before Sen. Obama's speech.No attacks, no name-calling. No Paris and no podium. Speaking softly and looking directly into the camera, Sen. McCain said simply this:
"Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, 'Congratulations.' How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we’ll be back at it. But tonight, Senator, job well done."On a night when he could've tried (probably in vain) to wrest the spotlight from the Democrats by leaking the name of his running mate, Sen. McCain took the High Road exit. His televised message was generous, the classiest of class acts.
Likewise to you, Sen. McCain, well done.
Last night's extravaganza will redefine the term "spectacle," political and otherwise.Those big-tent Democrats rented the biggest tent in Denver -- Mile-High Stadium, which eventually would accommodate an estimated 85,000 -- and it wasn't big enough. The lines of people waiting to get in reportedly stretched for six miles. Far away, in places like New York City's Times Square, thousands more gathered to watch the event on television.
By comparison, Sen. McCain is said to be struggling to draw 10,000 for a rally today in Dayton, Ohio, where he's expected to announce his running mate.
So when you hear the GOP poke fun at the "Temple of Obama," the next time some surrogate pooh-poohs Sen. Obama's celebrity and oratory, know this: The Republican Party would sell its collective soul, at wholesale prices, for the conservative equivalent of Barack Obama -- wildly popular, smart, articulate and disciplined, a candidate who both inspires an audience and expands the base.
Over the last 25 years, professionally, I've written my share of speeches and have delivered a few of my own. Suspending my political preferences for an hour last night, I had the privilege of enjoying what I consider to be the best political speech I've ever heard.
Sen. Obama's "A More Perfect Union" address could lay claim to being better rhetorically, arguably a classic, but his acceptance speech checked every box and pushed every button. Under unimaginably high expectations, he delivered with an extraordinary mastery of medium and message.
While I wasn't persuaded, I was impressed -- Sen. Obama's performance was, in a word, brilliant, and the Democrats have every right to be pleased (and no doubt relieved) about how their nominating convention turned out. Sen. McCain and his party have their work cut out for them.
Around midnight, I traipsed down to the kitchen for a snack and found my older spawn in the living room, TiVo remote in-hand, intently watching a replay of Sen. Obama's speech.
It made me smile.
He's just 16, which means that he has more than politics on his hormone-charged plate these days, but the fact that he's interested in this campaign is a very, very good thing.
In less than two years, he'll be expressing his choices as a voter. Whatever those choices may be, and whether or not they mirror my own, today I take pride in knowing that he's already distinguishing himself from the masses -- because he's paying attention.
