The real McCain the real McCoy
by Graham Davies

It was the best of speeches and it was the worst of speeches. Worst in the sense that he made most of the mistakes that is was possible for a public speaker to make; best in the sense that it was a true reflection of the determined character of the man.

Ironically, the shear brilliance of Sarah Palin’s speech gave McCain licence to play safe. This is just as well, because ‘safe’ is the only item on his public speaking menu. He also suffers from an incurable disability: an almost total inability to use his facial muscles. His face looks like it has been nipped, tucked and bolted back on again with an extra layer applied by Madame Tussauds. The only time he breaks through the botox barrier is when he smiles. Unfortunately the smile is so stiff and forced that you are not sure whether it is showing amusement or constipation.

The speech was certainly noticeable for what he did not say. He never said the two words that could be fatal to his campaign: George Bush. He has become the President whose name they dare not speak.

It was also nearly 45 minutes into the speech before McCain mentioned God, which must be an all time record for a Republican Politician.

The opening was a torrent of bland pleasantries. We only saw a hint of warmth under the waxwork when he responded in his clunky but spontaneous way to some heckling. The core message, that America needs change but change with a safe pair of hands, was a good one. Mind you, it was rather disturbing when he said that they also needed to get back to basics. Essentially this meant that he was not only stealing ideas from Obama but also John Major as well.

However, the determined solid fighter did shine through when he again told his story about being a prisoner in Vietnam. It may well be a familiar story but when you see it told by him you can get a measure of his genuine character. He comes across as a hard but sensitive man who can fight when he has to but can also compromise when he has to.

The last ten lines of the speech was a sequence of highly polished one liners that were clearly provided for him by a team of writers. They worked so effectively so that he had to keep talking though an ever increasing storm of applause and cheers. The smile he came out with at the end said to me “I’ve survived five years of Vietnamese torture and I am even more pleased to have survived fifty five minutes of public speaking.”

McCain will never enjoy public speaking and he will never be more than adequate performer but he is the type of guy who can grit his teeth and get through something because he just has to. This might be the type of guy that would make rather a good President.