McCain takes the stage

Dennis Roddy | 9:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5

John McCain took the podium tonight shortly after 9 p.m. Central time to an explosive round of applause.

The nominee began a surpisingly low-key address reaching out across party lines, even pausing to compliment his Democrat opponent Sen. Barack Obama.

Because of a stage reconfigured for the acceptance speech, the Pennsylvania delegation was seated front and center, directly  below the nominee.

The McCain speech, which began with a call for unity, moved through an intensely personal account of his ordeal as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and was capped with some sharp comparisons between him and Barack Obama. He also clearly embraced his party's core messages of the past 30 years: it was harshly critical of unions, promised to fund private alternatives to public schools, and vowed lower taxes and business growth.

Overall, though, the tone was almost gentle.

"Bipartisan, steady," was how delegate michael Puppio of Philadelphia characterized it.

State GOP Chairman Bob Gleason, seated almost at the candidate's feet, saw tonight's speech as McCain providing the flip side to Sarah Palin's slashing tone the night before.

"I think he was taking a different tack than Sarah Palin did," Mr. Gleason said. "He countered her. She attacked and he pulled us together. We've got a hell of a team. Two very different people."

The night's strangest task fell to Ashley Davis, a native of Armstrong County, who was working the floor for the convention organizers. He main job was to keep the center aisle clear and the Pennsylvania delegation in its seats, even as the cheers swelled and other convention-goers sprang to their feet for the endless stream of standing ovations.

The reason?

Pennsylvania's primo location came with a price. They were seated in front of the large teleprompter from which Mr. McCain read the text of his speech. A standing ovation could slow the speech to a crawl if the Pennsylvanians cheered too long.

The sitting didn't sit well with the Pennsylvanians, especially when the Colorado delegation behind them stood up.

"How about somebody telling Colorado, too?" grumbled Mr. Puppio.

By speech's end, McCain asked Americans to stand with him. Ms. Davis shrugged in surrender and the night ended with people on their feet and balloons falling about their shoulders.

The Republican National Convention of 2008 is history. Now, it's up to John McCain and Barack Obama to work out history's next chapter. Ladies and gentlemen, you have my report. Let us adjourn to the bar.