Sen. John McCain will never join the ranks of great American political orators -- everyone knows that, including the Senator himself. But tonight we saw what happens when third-rate delivery meets wretched speechwriting.It was hard to watch.
The address wasn't so much boring as it was fractured and thin. That's the fault of the speechwriter, not the speaker. Not even a Fred Thompson or a Barack Obama could've saved this one.
Oh, it had its moments. Like when Sen. McCain took his fellow Washington insiders to the rhetorical woodshed for losing the public's trust. Or all those lines that implied, "Nice platform, people, but remember: I'm a maverick."
Or when he ad-libbed while security dragged a Code Pink protester out of the arena.
To the extent that there was substance, it took the form of familiar GOP chestnuts. Points made on economic issues put the nominee in a hard-about -- back toward failed Bush policies and opposite the best interest of the McCain-Palin ticket. Not good.
Of course, whenever Sen. McCain talks about his stay at the Hanoi Hilton, told with particular poignancy tonight, it's always compelling. And the finish -- "Stand up!" -- was strong, at least.
But no, this was a speech best forgotten -- fire up the Straight Talk Express, hit the road for Wisconsin and leave tonight in the rearview mirror. Shred the paper copies, bulk the tapes and erase the memory (digital and otherwise). Save the stills of the balloons and families.
By the way, Senator -- nice haircut.
