Overall, it was a very mediocre performance. I'm not sure it got the job done.
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."
... Immediately after the speech, I remarked to my wife that the tone of it was of a person looking back on a career, not beginning a new one.
... As a young Democrat, I'm a little confused after this speech. I think I finally saw in McCain's speech what the Republican party could represent. What a stark contrast to the other speakers at the convention. Brilliant but sad.
He really was talking to America and not his base. Still doesn't have my vote, but a little more respect.
So far, the reviews aren't good. CNN's Jeffrey Toobin calling this " the worst speech by a nominee that I’ve heard since Jimmy Carter in 1980" is one thing. But the harsh critique that former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson delivered on MSNBC (which Barack Obama's campaign was quick to blast out to reporters) was something else entirely.
"Pretty disappointing," Gerson said. "I think that was a missed opportunity. Many Americans needed to hear from this speech something they have never heard from Republicans before. And in reality, a lot of the policy they’ve heard from Republicans before."
McCain, in his big speech last night, vowed to end “partisan rancor.” He made this clear by using the word “fight” 43 times, literally
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