"Shockingly Bad"

It was terrible. Though I never really trust my own impressions on things like this because I'm admittedly biased.

But I have to see I can not believe the "green screen" made a comeback! I laughed out loud when I saw that. Then when the cameras pulled back and I saw it was a part of a lawn in a larger picture... My God! Did no one involved in this convention realize that the TV cameras would zoom in on McCain's face and all we'd see behind him is a solid block of green?

Al,  you need a medal.

McCain sucked tonight.

1) You know, if he hadn't told me he was POW about a half-million times, I wouldn't have known.

2) I had to laugh when the applause and cheering kept stepping on his lines.

A truly terrible speech.

really hard to take seriously.  It seemed increadibly plastic and devoid of emotion, utterly and completely dead.  The delivery didn't move me in the slightest.  I came away with the impression that if you take away the call to emotion of his POW story that it becomes increadibly clear how little conviction John McCain really has.  And it think them overplaying the POW card so much during the convention is going to make it that much easier for people to dismiss the emotional manipulation of that story.  If that happens John McCain is in serious trouble.

Yes, Al, it was that bad.

The code pinkers were the only interesting moments.

Cindy was aweful.  They cannot see the vainglorious excesses and blatant hypocrisy.  They pass themselves off as 'reformers'--and they are in bed with corporate status quo power.  She came across as the opposite of what she poorly attempted to present.  Cindy's a total fake.

The worship of 'the father' was the only unifying theme--Cindy's father, John as would-be Father (president).

They are trying to win this election on attacks on Obama, and by playing up the 'sacrifice', and 'country-first' fake posturing.   Ony the stupid and the cynical would buy this crap.

Notice, also, that Palin didn't feature much in McLame's speech.  Like a good little woman she receeds into subordinant mode.

Really, if the debates turn out as badly for McLame, the only way O-man will lose is either fraud, recalcitrant racism--or a combination thereof.

which means awful.  I didn't get to (have to?) see it so I'm glad that is your impression Al.  I read Nate's blogging of it on 538 and it seems he really didn't like it until the end and then says, "...it wasn't all that far from being a pretty great speech."  So I'm not understanding how that last comment connects to all his other negative reactions to it. 

I saw where Obama is only down by 2 in Indiana in a poll today and that he has visited there a number of times, spent a lot of money and McCain has no ads going on and has been there once. Good good good. 

The other thing I was thinking was that Obama has a TON of good to great surrogates - Biden, Hill and Bill, his wife, Kerry and the Kennedys and Richardson, Kaine and all the Governors and Senators from the primary ---from now until the election to fan out around the country.  And McCain has who?  And unknown VP and Rush and  Faux News.  All the others in the GOP want to distance themselves from McCain or vice versa. 

a few minutes on c-span but he was doing that pivoting sprinkler thing from one TelePrompter to the next.  I had to turn away.

What was up with that big picture of a house on the screen? Weird idea.

... and I am a junkie.  It was very bad.  I am not sure how to gauge it with an open mind though.  I thought Palin overreached with the sarcasm, but others today were over the moon (anecdotal and born out a bit by the Survey USA poll).  If his anti-GOP rhetoric "sells" then he has a real chance.  I mean, to me, it is flat, flat, flat. Snore, snore, snore.  He looked old, deflated, and a bit wistful based on what I saw.

Yeah, the speech seemed crappy to me too.

Slightly OT, but, it's seems to me that one unspoken consequence of McCain choosing Palin for VP, aside from the judgment issue, is that one of the other choices in picking a running mate is that the VP choice should not upstage the top of the ticket.  As everyone is saying, "A Star Is Born", by picking Palin, McCain has energized the base, but not for the McCain candidacy, but for the Palin candidacy.  Essentially, it seems to me that McCain while so blinded by wanting to beat Obama, chose a candidate, much like Obama, who has more charisma and oratory skills than he himself does.  Even in his speech tonight, while you and others I guess loved many of the bipartisanship parts of the speech, it seemed to me that the delegates in the hall, were not as impressed or enthusiatic, until Palin showed up.  Even during Cindy McCain's remarks, most of her lines fell flat, until she mentioned Gov Palin (I won't even get into how much less warmly Cindy McCain came off compared to Michelle Obama).

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if in time until the election in November to see Sara Palin talking to huge crowds, and McCain still struggling to find seat holders.  Basically, McCain has released a monster flame in Sara Palin, which it seems to me has the potential not really blunt Obama's star power, but will completely engulf McCain's.

Gerson's off-the-cuff critique from the convention floor topped the effusive bullshit I heard on MSNBC. I hope someone youtubes it. Because he cut into it as a content-maker and sense. You have part of it, Al. I hope you can find the rest.

Unless you're the converted, McCain's speech had the 'music' of a school monitor explaining the fire drill. And it is so overbearing, you need pundits to tell you what you heard.

As for Palinomania, this is a reaction well worth reading.

I completely agree with you all. 

It was a tune out and move on snoozer!

I think Palin, Newt, Rudy, and O'Reilly's lead stories tonite, probably did more to energize Dems (and hopefully Indys) for Obama/Biden than Repubs this week.  Maybe I'm too optomistic?  JMc was just plain blah.

I am definately biased.  So it will be interesting to follow reactions, etc later this and next week.

The Republicans were experimenting with a new drug they gave to all the delegates in the hall which induces mass hysteria.

Or maybe they just had cue cards.

But if you listen to the speech it was so disjointed that only the shouting of the true believers made any excitement. The pundits who gave it a lot of credibility were simply reporting on the effect of the cheering section.

Does anyone know whether they had the delegates practising along with Palin?

but I am very happy to hear your analysis, Al. I keep thinking about the surburban republican women that I know. I just can't imagine that all of these Palin theatrics are sitting well with them. It is just turning into a soap opera. They are smart and I don't think they have a taste for this. Also, the reason McCain is the nominee is because he was the less right wingey. That tells me that many in the party are sick of the christian right taking over and I can't imagine the Palin pick sitting well with them. Who knows, I could be totally off here, but I don;t think independents and "smart" republicans will be impressed by this.

I also think Obama needs a big media grabbing event to re-focus on McCain and the same. Perhaps a joint event with the Clintons....

When your close friend accidentally calls you "John Bush" on live television while talking to Tom Brokaw, you know you had a really BAD night.... Yes, Tom Ridge actually called John McCain, John Bush and we need this ad up by the Obama camp asap. Video is at TPM and on the front page at DAilykos. Enjoy.

is that the only thing he cares to talk about is himself.  "I'm full of honor, I'm an imperfect servant, I'm not a partisan, I'm a man you can trust, fight with me!"

So when it comes to talking about something more relevant like say, a political philosophy, or specific policies, he's emotionally lost.  "Vouchers, judges, drill drill drill"  No emotional connection to any subject that is not John McCain.  He gets hung up on the teleprompter.

The other problem he had tonight was that the speech itself was shit.  "Bumpersticker line" [Wait for applause] (repeat ad nauseum)  Nothing deeper than that.  Totally vapid.

Lisa, yeah, that was the part of the speech when I expected McLame to come out as 'eco-Republican', and break-bad for that maverick 'change'.  LOL

And what the ef was up with that house?  I thought it was one of McLame's homes, his favorite, or something.  geez

One thing's for sure--Cindy owes me a case of her standard swill for having to endure these effers tonight.

Come on! Enquirer--bring on the Palin affair stories, the 'scoop' about Cindy McLame's wacky plastic surgeon, whatever!  Just don't give us more of McLame's biography/haigiography.

This is his last hoorah, and he is getting completely trampled by a bimbo from the Great White North.  He tried to out-Obama Obama, but failed.  There is a little Maverick let in his soul somewhere, but it's tired.  After the Palin fiasco last night, how can anyone not laugh everytime he used the word "bipartisan"?  John, you invited that lunatic bitch to this party and now you have to live with the outcome.

Mark Halperin says that McCain will bring Chang.  Huh?  I thought that Cheech and Chang were a comedy act.  Oh, wait a minute.  It was Cheech and Chong.  So, who is Chang?

http://thepage.time.com/2008/09/04/mccain-on-bipartisanship-i-have-the-r...

I just think the entire Maverick bullshit has to be stripped from him. Caribou Barbie=COMPLETE SELLOUT TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT.

We really do need to pound this fact in New Hampshire and the Mountain West.

Dan, the pundits that give this speech a pass, and ignore the creepy presentation by Cindy, are simply 'bought' intellectuals.  It's their job to tell the super rich and the powerful that they shit doesn't stink.

McLame and Cindy need to hit the bottle tonight,.

...that screen capture is hilarious.

The green background.  The poorly written speech.  Don't want to get conspiratorial, but it seems like they are, oh gawd, I HATE this phrase, throwing him under the bus.  Did anyone get that sense -- they are sacrificing his candidacy? I feel like the GOP strategy is to gladly make him irrelevant. Which is why, I suppose, Obama's strategy is to keep him relevant.  But it is almost ... I dunno, creepy or something... what the repubs are doing. Can't articulate it or put my finger on it.

I'm just connecting the dots - Chang, more appropriately named Dr. Chang, is Cindy's plastic surgeon!!!  Swears he did not ever field dress a moose or have an affair with a hockey mom but will talk to the Enquirer for the right $$.

I didn't think it was terrible, just boring.  But perhaps I got bored, tuned out, and didn't fully appreciate how awful it was.

I was struck by how obsessed with death and violence the Republicans are: images of 9/11, images of memorials to the dead, soldiers going off to war, casual talk of guns. They like being at war on many different fronts. It's creepy.

McCain had a few hi points, but very few

Yikes!!  Now, I am scared to mention the dreaded Dr's. name.  I must read too much sci-fi.  However, you did give me an idea for my novel in November.  Dr. Chang.  Hmm...it seems too easy.

November is write a novel month.  :-)  It's coming up.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano

Check this out... it's from yesterday!

Towards the end the astute commentators remark that certainly this will not happen again on Thursday night.  Brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qLqOfm7ZI&eurl

Past my bedtime. 

Once McCain accepts the Republican nomination for president tonight, he will no longer be allowed to accept private donations because he as [sic] opted to accept $85 million in federal financing for his campaign.

Also reported:

UPDATE: Bloomberg reported that Palin’s speech was even better for Democrats–Barack Obama has raised $8 million since Wednesday’s speech. “Sarah Palin’s attacks have rallied our supporters in ways we never expected,” Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said. “And we fully expect John McCain’s attacks tonight to help us make our grassroots organization even stronger.”

half-way through the speech.  The green, and then blue backgrounds were excessively bright and distracting which made the visuals disgustingly amateur. The screen behind him, and the images may have seemed like a good idea, and been appealing for those inside the hall, but on the television, they were horrible.

The content was a typical republican speech.  Accuse the Dems of higher taxes, bench legislation, surrender, and government regulation... yada yada yada.  we hear it every four years.  What made it even more disturbing is we heard no solutions for the problems Americans face.  The option for school vouchers and "standing up to family values"—LOL—are not going to fix the economy.  Neither is continuing to give tax breaks to large corporations without regulating that to receive those breaks they must keep jobs here in the US.  Neither candidate on the Republican ticket have any experience in economics and seemingly no plan.  While the Dem ticket may lack executive experience, at least Obama has formulated an economic relief plan with a bipartisan group of advisors, and presented it to the public during his speech.

Furthermore, the speech tried to avoid the discussion of Iraq, and they attempted to link Iraq and 9/11 once again in that horrible underhanded video shown earlier that night.  They know they have little to stand on in Iraq, also they avoided it.  McCain talked of not losing Iraq, but said nothing about how to win.  Does he even have a plan there?  Just to keep at an occupation, rather than to look at the war on terror objectively and concentrate our forces on what needs to be the main battle in the War on Terrorism—Afghanistan?

He criticized the Dems plan on healthcare, by trying to fear the people into believing that a bureaucrat will be standing in the way of a person and their doctor, which is a disturbingly slanted view of the Obama plan.  When in actuality the rich republicans that have healthcare and those that feel that their own healthcare is adequate will not be affected in the slightest by Obama’s plan.  Only those without healthcare—like me—will have the ability to get comprehensive coverage.  Moreover, McCain’s speech never laid out his plan for healthcare.  He just said that with his plan there would be no bureaucrats in the way.

I think the speech was a disaster in that it only addressed the issues of the far right, which McCain is still trying to solidify, while ignoring the bread and butter concerns of the average American.  If he is still trying to solidify his party at this juncture and not reaching out to independents and wavering Dems, then his campaign is in far more trouble than I could have imagined.   Overall, worst convention speech I have ever seen.

All the puffed up chests in that hall and on that stage fluffing the self-sacrifice theme for "something larger" than themselves look absurd from outside the convention hall. "What have you people ever sacrificed?" asks the independent cynic. McCain never sacrificed anything; he was abused in Hanoi. I just cannot see "Country First" having any real traction.  2002 jingoism and bloodlust aren't exactly the passions coursing through the body politic today.  Everything about this Republican convention seems archaic. Yet, even as they look and sound like Bush warmed over, I have a slight concern if "More of the Same" stays the dominant attack line through October. It remains incredibly effective, but I have to trust that there will be other lines of attack to build on that in the days and weeks to come. Temperament wasn't the issue tonight. We shall see if it effectively emerges in the debates. And finally, before signing off, I still think McCain looks feeble next to his pistol-packing side-kick. Her enthusiasm for herself in her position is too intense and I suspect that McCain has already gotten tired of her on a personal level.  There is no chemistry between them--how could there be? And, I think that will make McCain feel what Gore and Kerry say they felt: alone. Palin is NOT going to be strategizing with McCain and company. She is the strategy.  Thus, I suspect that the next 60 days are going to feel like eons for the old guy.

I think we're going to see more reactions like this, just entered on HuffPo, from Hillary-age female supporters. I really believe this is something that the male Republican speechwriters for this convention did not clue into. This kind of reaction is what led to the 60s feminism movement in the first place.

I'm a 61 year old white woman who has come across many Sarah Palin's in my time. You know the type, all sugary sweet, while they stab you in the back. She wreaks of ambition - not a bad quality if you are up to the task. Sorry, she just isn't. I found her speech smarmy, condescending. Kind of like an angry PTA mom at a meeting. She is clearly full of herself and I don't think her credentials make her ready for prime time. I think there is a lot more to Sarah Palin than meets the eye. Hopefully it will come out in time. I know I won't vote republican this year. I can't afford either one of them.

I will be really interested to see how Hillary goes after this next week, and trust me, she will. She is going to invoke this in her supporters. She's going to use certain turns of phrase that remind them.

Then again, the "More of the Same" tagline seems intended to be as annoying as it.

It has the virtue of being true, of course.

But it also seems to be a way of egging McCain into some self-destructiv over-reach.

I can't see McCain the gambler having the mental discipline to stay cool for two months.

Everyone is missing the point of the green screen and the blue screen.

McCain is just trying to get Stephen Colbert to "make McCain exciting" again. With both green and blue screens a much more expansive type of special effects are available for use!

Now we can have McCain inserted into relavent historical footage and also have him inserted into the attack run against the Death Star. Basically, different screens = different effects.

I was at an Obama organizing meeting (about 15 very enthused folks just for our local neighborhood) and so I missed everything.  My first stop was MSNBC and Chris Matthews and Pat Buchanan were talking about how incredibly remarkable it was that McCain essentially divorced himself from the Bush Administration.  This was historic, they said!  It's not clear to me how that's possible when they represent the same party, ideas and he voted with them 90% of the time but these two made it sound like it was earth shattering.  McCain was throwing Bush under the bus to win the election and it just might work.  You guys haven't mentioned it all.  So what gives?  Are Chris and Pat blowing smoke?  Rachel also thought it was a decent speech.

This grade inflation thing has me cranky.  Even from a purely objective standpoint, it would be nice if these so called experts could grade these speeches fairly.  I mean what professor gives every student an A and claims they "hit it out of the park?"  Come on guys, they're all professionals and give a decent speech....you need to give only the very BEST speeches As.  Geesh...

Glad to hear Al's take on all of this.  We'll see how it all plays over the next few days.  Glad to hear the all star Dem lineup is getting ready to hit the road campaigning.

Al, or anyone who really understands, I wouldn't mind a primer on exactly how the campaign finance rules work.  Can McCain really not take any more donations??  So donors would just give to the RNC instead??  (which really means there's no such thing as the $85M limit)

The 9/11 is disgusting.  How can that be used for political purposes??  That really should be sacrosanct.

It was so bloodless that every pro-lifer should be insulted by it.

I'm not of the persuasion that conservatives by definition have nothing to add to the political discourse. My Dutch citizenship regularly puts me in a position where I get to defend such world premieres as euthanasia, gay weddings, legal use of drugs and abortion, but the truth is that although I'm in favor of all the above, I understand and sometimes even share ethical concerns of (religious) conservatives about the protection of life. Similarly, I've heard conservatives make eloquent cases about the role of government in society and other such issues.

But where Obama presents a vision, the Republicans present old slogans and wisecracks, and McCain's speech was the worst even in that category. They tried to satisfy everybody at this convention and the result is the opposite. The big difference was that the Dems gave the stage to the old guard for quite a bit, and then moved on. The Repubs tried to keep the old guard out, only allowed Bush by satellite, and then tried to stay friends with them. This never works, and it will at least take a full presidential cycle before they've cleaned up their mess. I think that when they've lost, it'll be internal warfare, if that hasn't already started yet.

I dunno about the speech, but anyone heard this:

" Forget whether or not Sarah Palin is ready to be president. She's not even ready to be a candidate for vice president!

Howard Fineman reports a top McCain adviser tells him that Palin is going to be taking a "timeout" from the campaign trail through the middle of next week. According to Fineman, Palin will use the time to "begin the education of Sarah Palin." Apparently, the excuse will be that she needs to attend to personal business, including seeing her son off to Iraq.

Fineman says they want to make sure she understands John McCain's positions on issues and the issues she is going to need to deal with as a vice presidential candidate. Most notably, she won't be doing any substantial media interviews until she returns to the trail, which could be at least as late as next Wednesday."

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/09/howard-fineman-palin-leaving-c.html

I couldn't watch the whole thing, and the bits I heard sounded like the same old Republican talking points I've heard since Reagan.  They're tired now.

Quoting "all men are created equal" and congratulating Obama on his accomplishment annoyed me terribly.  I thought it was a way of shouting, "Look, he's black! I'm the white guy! Like the founders!" If anyone calls him on it, Repubs'll claim the Dems are playing the race card.

He played all the other Repub cards too, and played, and played... and Rome burned.

@Tara Van Nimen:  One great thing about the Palin pick is that McCain can no longer distance himself from the wacko right wing of his party.  Before her, I thought Obama was stretching when he said McCain would be 4 years of the same.  McCain's choice of running mate proved Obama's point.  Obama can point to Palin any time McCain tries to separate himself from the neocons and wackos from here to November.

Personally, I like polar bears.  :-)

In searching for the complete YouTube of Gerson's comments tonight, I came across an interview he had with Daniel Finkelstein of The London Times.

It was recorded March 26, 2008. Gerson had been traveling with the Obama campaign, and had high praise for Obama as a natural political talent. The interesting part starts at 2:75 min. Worth a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEs_WzwIb1o

"Shockingly Bad" I think might overrating this speech.

It reminded me of an awards night at the local Elks Lodge, where the honoree is pushing 75, is loaded up on boilermakers, the microphone is on the fritz and the kitchen help is busy dropping dishes on the floor.

I was there. In the nosebleeds, in the community radio section, there with nothing but the strange cellophane air between me and McCain.

About twenty minutes in (I missed his shockingly un-thrilling intro) I got a sudden vision of the evil things that had been flocking outside, and this is what I wrote. Some force greater than I - or perhaps a fucking week of crappy police state and corporate lies and causing of pain - lots of pain caused this week - some force came up with this.

There is a scary vibe in this convention...

I've seen Imperial Troopers in their ninja turtle armor, I've seen teargas, and the Bean Bag Buggy.

The cadaverous face of Ramsey County Sheriff Fletcher, the glints on the dark pebbles that are Senator McCain's eyes...

In between the security gate and the TSA magnetron, at about 8 PM, I saw them.

Two, three, four men who were not the ones you saw at podiums, behind Fox News desks. The man who's pure evil. Hard men. Men who say 'flip the switch' or 'push the button' or 'pull that lever.' When they were younger, they might have done it themselves.

They are the hidden men, not even the grey eminences. The fixers. The do-ers. "That one, now!"

Now the convention is booing Obama. Perfunctory, and unenthusiastically. Oh, line about immigrants being Americans too. Pro forma applause.

The crowd boos, the crowd cheers the war. Rudy Giuliani move them to froth - Lindsay Graham moves them to scorn.

It's an... evil triumphalism. It's the party of Jupiter Maximus, with Mammon on the one side and thuggish Ares on the other. A party where the leaders are feted till they puke, where the powerful pushing down the weak, those declared 'entarte' or unclean - is not only allowed, not only encouraged, but considered a sacrament.

He's against public money. He says he's against foreign aid - and the rousing cheer, the triumphal roar that he got when he said that surprised even the candidate.

The speech is flat in delivery, the crowd, partisans all, know what to do. There are spaces - seats unfilled in the auditorium.

Iran, Russia, the fears!!

I found this diary on dailykos, and when I first read it I thought it was a joke, but apparently the McCain campaign is going to attempt to keep her from making any appearances with the media that are not prescripted.  I can't believe how desparate this is.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/5/03014/25099?detail=f

Oh.  Oh!  Is it over?  Um... it was ... um ... great.  Very patriotic.  McCain was very manly.  And um... did he mention being a POW? 

Yawn.

MCCAIN: I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a

cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again; I wasn't my own

man anymore; I was my country's.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such

personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in

its hour of need.

(APPLAUSE)

My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And

I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.

............

After the Green Screens of Near Death dropped, nearly killing the fat lady singing, Dorothy pulled back the curtain to expose a puny mortal, the Wiztard of AZ.

No deal.

No press? Nothing? Nada? Zip? [zero zero zero zero zero!]

Game over.

. . . . 

I came here to point to another good McCain comment thread, at Reason.com. Matt Welch wrote the book, Myth of a Maverick and has been my go-to person on all things McCain. So the fact that I didn't go there for liveblogginess means that I'm-a gonna-have more-a these senior moments. (and I'm only a year or two older than Obama and a few years older than Palin).

Anyway, the link to the convention site blog

And a beautifully-named liveblog post:  John McCain: The American Comment Thread Americans Have Been Waiting For

Al -

Not even El Santo could save this speech. Seriously, I tried watching it...I quit and left the house, for a night of drinks and good conversation. Oh, and at the risk of sounding sexist, I'm waiting for Sarah Palin's innapropriate pictures from the 1980's to surface...I can't wait...

Even David Brooks has problems spinning it - I mean McCain really wanted this from the doyen of the press corps?

In his own speech on Thursday, McCain showed that he is not naturally the smoothest of speakers. He did not have an over-arching story to describe how the world has changed in the 21st century and how government must adapt. He did not lay out a new doctrine to give shape to his administration. Bill Clinton had a new Democratic agenda to describe how his party would evolve, and in 2000, George W. Bush had compassionate conservatism. McCain had nothing like that.He did not offer as transformational a domestic policy agenda as one would have liked.

or

...he described traditional conservatism-plus...

or

His policies are still not quite there yet, but McCain has the heart of an insurgent.

The election is now less than two months out and McCain is still running as a typical republican in the worst climate for republicans since Watergate.

Still hold:  The hate party.

What is it they hate? Guiliani and Palin both made it pretty clear: community organizing. Community organizing is energized from below. From the periphery. It is the direction and facilitation of mass energy towards productive and cooperative ends. It is about replacing conflict with collaboration. It is the opposite of war; it is peace.

And McCain made clear again that he loves war. Read the rest of Rushkoff's take.

You knew it was going to be a tired, dreadful speech, but figured that with the constant lauding of his longtime speechwriter (Mark Salter?), his people would concoct something that you could plausibly play in the heartland--an argument you can make on behalf of Palin's nasty, sneering speech the previous night. McCain? Not so much. But what I found genuinely surprising is the poor excecution--that's where he doubled down, not on the content. The trumpeted "town hall-style" stage looked like a model runway, with the poor, shriveled POW standing as a wee loner at.....a little podium. We were told he'd wander and be conversational. He stood right there, stiff as a board, in a box, imprisoned, if you will.

The speech begins, and abracadabra, the screen behind him turns green!!! I rolled around the bed laughing, astonished. The screen kept cutting through his speech, almost like a prank from the control room. My wife and I laughed hysterically when the background suddenly turned blue and the camera widened to reveal a giant, leaning flagpole that seemed about to impale him in his lonely spot at the foot of the runway.

Reaganism, as much as anything, was about staging, theatrics and atmospherics. Whether we like it or not, the Obama people acknowledge the importance of staging and use it without apology. The Clinton and Bush people have always put a premium on it, to the point of sometimes overdoing it and having it come back to bite them (Mission Accomplished). Bush I, Dole (especially) and now McCain, all men of a different generation, never really got a grip on it. In the case of McCain, it's endearing, really, and the only thing that you could possibly commend him for in his shallow, content-free speech is that it's somehow to his credit that he fails so miserably at the theatrics.