The Weight of the Cross

Following up on my earlier post, now having seen JMac's speech, I'd have to say that "American Christ" was truly the convention's theme. Note first how the bio video tonight referred on multiple occasions to the Hanoi Hilton as "Hell." And look at how McCain made a prominent point about his "scars." I had wondered how they were going to introduce a crucifix. Silly me. It was the video flag flying behind him set against the azure blue of heaven. Perfect--and quite elegant--if you think about it. These Republicans sure do know marketing, and they sure do love religious dog whistles, even for their most secular of candidates.

Overall, however, I thought it was a lame speech. Vouchers!? How much time did he spend on that crap? Seemed like forever. The saber rattling over Russia was also quite the throwback. Too bad there's no wall for Putin to tear down. Do Americans really care about this? I also found it amusing that he could mention all these people he was "fighting for" without giving any concrete notion of what they might need and how he might help. Then there was the creepy grin, the green screen, the flubbed lines. The end was pretty rousing, but that was it. Even there he reminded most of Gore 2000. The rest of it was a below-average imitation of Kerry 2004, but without the Band of Brothers. Just McCain in his isolation and his pain. The central paradox is the conceit that this election is not about him and his ambition but about America. Even his co-chair Rick Davis admitted their campaign had no concern with "issues," only personality. I guess, at a minimum, he made a rare magnanimous gesture toward Obama, even after his surrogates had run a two-day hate. Could Johnny JesUS have done any less?