Governor Palin's acceptance speech sparked numerous posts and commentary, the reactions were strong, both positive and negative. However, Senator McCain's speech seems to have passed by without much comment.
Senator McCain's personal story and heroism in Vietnam is indeed remarkable- as he reminded of us so eloquently last night. But the rest of his speech and presentation was remarkably unremarkable. No new ideas and no indication of a real break with the Bush policies of the last eight years.
I thought former Bush speech writer, Michael Gerson summed it up best:
Unremarkable
Friday September 5, 2008
Categories: Election '08
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Diana Butler Bass and Paul Raushenbush both stand firmly within the Mainline Protestant tradition and, along with guest bloggers of all religious backgrounds are dedicated to the revival of religious progressivism and its influence in American politics.
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Diana Butler BassDiana Butler Bass is a commentator and scholar in American religion. She is the author of seven books including A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (HarperOne, 2009).
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Paul RaushenbushModerator of the Progressive Revival blog and the Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University.
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I don't quite agree with Gerson here.
I think Mark Shields and Jon Stewart separately (on PBS) nailed it when they pointed out the fundamental contradiction between: (1) McCain's spouting the usual Republican lines on policy issues (albeit rather briefly), and (2) McCain's extended criticism of the politicians (i.e., Republicans) who have been in control and pushing those policies in Washington for the last eight years or so (without actually naming any of them).
He was trying to co-opt Obama's critique of the failed performance of the Republicans of the last eight years and the fundamental necessity of changing what has been going on. Both are running against Bush and the Congressional Republicans.
The most moving part of the speech was when McCain explained how he long ago came to hate war:
"When I was 5 years old, a car pulled up in front of our house. A Navy officer rolled down the window, and shouted at my father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. I rarely saw my father again for four years. My grandfather came home from that same war exhausted from the burdens he had borne, and died the next day. In Vietnam, where I formed the closest friendships of my life, some of those friends never came home with me.
"I hate war. It is terrible beyond imagination. I'm running for president to keep the country I love safe, and prevent other families from risking their loved ones in war as my family has."
Which of these categories do Obama and McCain differently fall into:
(1) The professional soldiers turned politicians like Dwight Eisenhower and George Washington who know the stench of war and who keep the peace as President?
(2) Or, the intellectuals (Woodrow Wilson, JFK) and the upper-class dilettantes (FDR, "W") who get us into needless wars?
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