John McCain & THE Speech: Seemed flat to me

I'm not the primary audience for this speech, so take my impressions with a grain of salt, or the entire salt shaker, but John McCain did not move me tonight. This seemed like a retread of every other Republican laundry list of old ideas. (Can anyone say "cut taxes?") McCain himself just looked tired.

There were two highlights for me. One was when McCain seemed to apologize for the last eight years. The second was when he admitted that his captors had broken him and how he had grown from the experience. I was sincerely moved and felt I could finally glimpse a tiny bit of the real man behind the politician.

But the retelling of McCain's POW story has begun to sadden me. I have always respected McCain for his service and for what he suffered, but this constant repetition of his suffering feels like it cheapens a truly horrific experience. It's as if Republicans have turned McCain's suffering into nothing more than a political talking point.

All the talking heads on PBS except for one, gave the speech a resounding A. They talked about the enthusiasm of the audience and McCain's effectiveness. Perhaps he looked and sounded better in person, but on TV the speech, speaker and the audience all seemed flat.

And someone please... fire whoever set up that screen behind the speakers. Don't let them ever put the color green behind McCain again!