Obama Campaign Responds to McCain Speech

Filed under: Conventions

Statement from Obama spokesman Bill Burton:

Tonight, John McCain said that his party was elected to change Washington, but that they let Washington change them. He's right. He admonished the 'old, do-nothing crowd' in Washington, but ignored the fact that he's been part of that crowd for twenty-six years, opposing solutions on health care, energy, and education. He talked about bipartisanship, but didn't mention that he's been a Bush partisan 90% of the time, that he's run a Karl Rove campaign, and that he wants to continue this President's disastrous economic and foreign policies for another four years. With John McCain, it's more of the same.

That's not the change Americans need. Barack Obama has taken on the special interests and the lobbyists in Illinois and in Washington, and he's won. As President, he'll cut taxes for 95% of all working families, provide affordable health care to every American, end the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in ten years.

-- Evie Stone

12:45 AM ET | 09- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

McCain Accepts the Nomination...and the Challenge

Filed under: Conventions

John McCain is better known for his ease with the give-and-take of town hall style meetings than for giving barn-burning speeches. He was true to form tonight -- there was no barn-burning at the Xcel Center, certainly not in comparison to Sarah Palin's crowd-combusting performance the night before. (Though, in fairness, his wife's low-key introduction didn't energize the room nearly as well as Rudy Giuliani's pre-Palin red meat buffet.) The crowd rose to the occasion of the applause lines, but the electricity in the hall did not compare to what it was Wednesday.

Early in the speech, McCain nodded to the Presidents Bush (41 and 43) though he seemed to go out of his way not to mention their names. The Obama campaign has endeavored to link McCain to the Bush administration, but McCain has tried to keep his distance so he can maintain his mavericky rep.

I'm grateful to the President for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable; and to the First Lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in public and in private. And I'm grateful to the 41st President and his bride of 63 years, and for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country.

If McCain resisted mentioning the name of the person he was hoping to succeed, that wasn't the case with his running-mate. He drew a huge cheer from the crowd when he mentioned Sarah Palin. Her speech last night gave her rockstar status in this crowd, perhaps even overshadowing the guy at the top of the ticket with her popularity in the hall.

She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down. I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.

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Tags: McCain Accepts Nomination | Promises to Fight For Americans

RNC Out

Filed under: Conventions

With red, white, and blue confetti still afloat, and balloons still bouncing around among the celebrating delegates, Rep. John Boehner has gaveled the 2008 Republican National Convention to a close.

-- Evie Stone

11:22 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Cue the Balloons!

Filed under: Conventions

After a balloonless Democratic finale at open-air Invesco Mile-High stadium, the traditional convention finale has made its triumphant return here at the Xcel Center.

There's also patriotic confetti, and at one point gold streamers appeared to be shot out of cannons.

No actual fireworks at this indoor speech, though virtual ones are going off on the giant LCD screen behind the stage.

One element of the balloon-drop soundtrack: Heart's 1977 anthem "Barracuda" -- an homage to VP Candidate Palin, who was known as "Sarah Barracuda" during her high school basketball days.

-- Evie Stone

11:11 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

McCain: 'Fight With Me'

Filed under: Conventions

The speech hasn't been an especially raucous one, but the crowd went nuts with McCain's final refrain: "fight with me."

-- Evie Stone

11:04 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

McCain Describes POW Ordeal

Filed under: Conventions

McCain seldom revisits the details of his time in the Hanoi Hilton, though it's perhaps the most well-known and oft-referenced element of his biography.

The ordeal has figured heavily into almost every major speech at this convention, including his own. McCain told the RNC audience that the experience changed the way he thinks about America:

I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. 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.

-- Evie Stone

10:56 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Code Pink Protesters Interrupt McCain Acceptance Speech

Filed under: Conventions

Twice so far during John McCain's speech, anti-war Code Pink activists have launched protests in the aisles. As security guards dragged them off, the RNC crowd erupted into chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

McCain, chuckling, told the audience not to be "diverted by the crowd noise and the static."

-- Evie Stone

10:23 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Cindy McCain on Character, Hockey Mommin'

Filed under: Conventions

Cindy McCain walked onstage accompanied by the whole McCain crew (minus the nominee), and introduced the younger McCain generation to the convention crowd -- including adopted daughter Bridget, who rarely makes public appearances. (Mrs. McCain brought the infant Bridget, who needed cleft palate surgery, to the US from Mother Teresa's orphanage. The child was famously caught in the political crossfire during the 2000 South Carolina primary when pro-Bush operatives circulated rumors that John McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child. While her older sister Meghan is a blogger and prominent force on the campaign trail, Bridget -- who is still in high school -- mostly stays out of the spotlight.)

She spoke without a podium from a stage adorned only with teleprompters, using a wireless mic (and looking phenom as always in a turquoise suit). Her performance wasn't rousing, but it was comfortable and classy, focusing mainly on her husband's character and her admirable record of helping those in need. She stressed that service to others comes from personal efforts, not government assistance:

But I have also seen the resilience of the American people. I've heard stirring stories of neighbor helping neighbor, of cities on one end of the country offering help to fellow citizens on the other.

Despite our challenges our hearts are still alive with hope and belief in our individual ability to make things right if only the Federal government would get itself under control and out of our way.

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9:46 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Police Response To Protests Intensifies As Cindy McCain Takes Stage

Filed under: Conventions

Minnesota Public Radio reports that police have set off concussion grenades and smoke bombs to disperse a group marching in St. Paul. More than 100 arrests are expected, bringing the overall RNC arrest tally to roughly 800.

-- Michael Olson

9:34 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Democrat in the Lion's Den

Filed under: Crossfire

Barack Obama appeared for the first time in months on Fox News Channel on Thursday night -- fencing with the O'Reilly Factor's Bill O'Reilly on national security issues.

The Democrat acknowledged that the elevation of U.S. troop levels in Iraq commonly called the surge had "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

The conservative talk show host started by pressing the Senator on whether he'd be willing to strike Iran militarily to prevent it from getting nuclear arms, to which Obama replied he would not rule out military options but wanted to pursue other means of pressuring Iran.

O'Reilly did not look impressed. "We'll assume that you're going to ratchet everything you can rachet," O'Reilly said. "But I'm going to assume that Iran's going to say, 'Blank you,' and I want a President, whether you or McCain that says, 'You ain't doin' that.'"

O'Reilly then turned to Iraq.

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9:30 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post