THE TELEGRAPH: John McCain vowed to transform Washington, denouncing the “partisan rancour” he said had plagued the ruling establishment for decades.
Attempting to take the sting out of rival Senator Barack Obama’s message of change, he said: "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.”
As he formally accepted his party's presidential nomination, the Vietnam War veteran promised to fight for his country “as long as I draw breath”.
“I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President,” he told a packed hall in St Paul, Minnesota.
"I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not," he said
Bringing the crowd to its feet, he continued: "Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide form history. We make history."
Mr McCain made just one direct mention of the outgoing President George W Bush, thanking him for leading the country safely through the years since the September 11 attacks.
Needing to distance himself from the most unpopular US president of the modern era, he made a thinly veiled criticism of Mr Bush.
He said Republicans had lost Americans' trust "when we valued our power over our principles. We're going to change that.
"We're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, [Theodore] Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics."
At 72, the four-term Arizona senator once again presented himself as a maverick capable of working across party lines, having moved to the Right during the campaign to woo the party’s activists.
He said proudly of his past disagreements with the party: "I've been called a maverick. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not.
"Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed.
"That's how I will govern as president. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. John McCain Vows to Unite America in Republican Convention Speech >>> By Alex Spillius in St Paul | September 5, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH:
John McCain Offered Republicans Vision Rooted in Reality, Not Barack Obama's Empty Promises >>> By Simon Heffer | September 5, 2008
NZZ Online:
Aufruf McCains zum Kampf für Amerika: Bekenntnishafte Rede des republikanischen Kandidaten >>> Von Beat Ammann, St. Paul | 5. September 2008
LE FIGARO:
John McCain promet le changement: Dans son discours d’investiture aux accents guerriers, le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche a invité les Américains au combat >>> J.B. (lefigaro.fr) Avec AFP et AP | 5.9.2008
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
