Holding his own

I sat down and watched Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, Sept. 4. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much from the Republican candidate. After all, public speaking has never been his strong suit. That's why I was pleasantly surprised.

McCain did exactly what he needed to do Thursday night. He kept his shots at Obama above the belt. Instead of taking useless personal shots at Obama, he contrasted himself with the Democratic candidate. Instead of mocking him, he told people what to expect from a Democratic administration vs. a Republican administration. He showed a lot of class, and earned a measure of respect from me.

What I liked about McCain's speech is that he separated himself from the Bush administration. He showed a good measure of the independence that made him such an attractive candidate in the first place. The question is, now that he's the man, will he continue to show that independence, or will he pander to the hard-right Republican base?