Biden lands some blows on McCain, but the convention as a whole fails to pack a punch

David

I have to say, your reports are in some ways markedly different from elsewhere; I suspect your support for McCain is colouring your views.

Frank Pulley

James, this is a conservative magazine/blog, yes?. STFU with the liberal patter that keeps bursting through your pin-stripes. This is taking the eclectic theme too far at a crucial time. Get some fire in your belly man. Osmosis seems to be taking its toll on you. I hope you'll be there for the GOP convention. Perhaps your absorbency will cause the litmus paper to change colour again. We hope!

Ganpat Ram

As long as McCain keeps it Paris Hilton Obama versus Hanoi Hilton McCain this contest is his.

Plus pro-working class stuff.

JONNY

Can't for the life of me understand why The Spectator's rooting for McCain.
A man who cannot remember how many houses he owns is either:
1. so bloody well-heeled he's out of the stratosphere compared with most of us one-house humans (apart from being out of touch anyway)
or:
2.Starting to suffer from memory and mnetal lapses, which will inevitably take its toll as he reaches the mid 70's. A hard of truth of Nature. Along with significant decrease in energy. Not to mention ability to fast assimilate detailed memoranda etc.
All of which one might have thought was pretty important for the most powerful man in the world.

Frank Pulley

Jonny

As I pointed out before on this blog: young bugger -flash bugger; old bugger - fly bugger. We may in our 70s need a reminder of what was, but at least when we are reminded we remember it accurately because we were there. When you're young you may be fast on the uptake, but for the bits of history that matter you have to rely on the description or analysis of others. McCain has been there, done that and got the bloodstained T shirt. Have some respect for your seniors you young pup! Moreover some of us old basterds can type 'mental' without fucking it up!

cuffleyburgers

The McCain campaign may have been chaotic and the candidate getting on a bit.

However I greatly admire the man for being a man of principle as he has shown through numerous bipartisan campaigns, of courage and of good judgement. He has been on the right side of pretty well every major issue.

The houses one - I can only assume that as a non policy question it was automatically referred to an aide.

I would certainly rather see this man as leader of the free world than Mr Obama who for all his youthful charm and so forth, has not been tempered on the anvil of life.

Besides, as a youngish smartish chap, I am naturally distrustful of younger smarter chaps than I, who think they have all the answers and want to prove it.

My view is that clever men are the last people who should be in charge either of countries or companies. They always create chaos.

JONNY

'young bugger -flash bugger; old bugger - fly bugger'
what's this meant to mean exactly Frank Pulley?

McCain is Bush Mark 2 with knobs on... no flash just stuck in his ways.
If you liked 8 years of that you'll want more of the same. And here's what you get for extras. Occupy Iraq for the next 50 years. Have a massive troop surge in Afghanistan. Fight Russia big in the Ukraine. Nuke Iran. And sing God Bless America every day after breakfast.
There's no menace like an old man - unless we count in our infantile Foreign Secretary.

Incidentally - sorry about the mispell. Summat's gone wrong with my mouse...

THX1138

Gaia is going to trade some blows & land a mighty big punch on the GOP Convention in the twin cities next week. Looks like & fingers crossed that Hurricane Gustav is going to slam into New Orleans just as Bush gets up to make his big address. Oh what perfect ironic timing could be half the red states power could out as Bush gets up to speak & reminding us of his great domestic failure.

http://my2bucks.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/hurricane-gustav-may-hit-us-coast-during-gop-convention/

JONNY Frank P is grumpy old righty but is always good reading & tongue in cheek I'm sure . Try not to let them wind you up & remember that they love us on this blog really, otherwise what a bore all agreeing with each other -Yawn

Frank Pulley

Jonny
Don't ask me what these old army saws mean; I know what that one means for me and that's what you have to figure. THX is right; well he's Left really, but he's right about my tongue; it's the only way left that I can take the wee-wee out of callow yoof now. This is a good natured blog on the whole and the hosts insist on it being eclectic, so give as good as you get and have some fun. There's a fair smattering of gravitas, but I for one will glad when this US election is done and dusted, it's having a deleterious effect on our absent hacks; I think they're going native, what's more, Democratic native, which is a sign of what we can expect from the new Conservative Party, I fear. Gramsci's 'long march through the institutions' may well have left its footprints in Tory HQ.

Verity

Jonny, here is how I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are British. "A man who cannot remember how many houses he owns is either:
1. so bloody well-heeled he's out of the stratosphere compared with most of us one-house humans (apart from being out of touch anyway."

The hatred of the rich is palpable. Why? Envy and malice suppurating out of ever pore.

Newsflash: Americans like rich people because they intend to be one themselves one day. Those British who are small-minded, narrow, resentful, envious make my skin crawl. Perhaps because you hark from another era ...

Second, McCain's 90-year old mother seems like a pretty sparky, humourous type.

Third, had you considered that some of those houses may be in his wife's name or other family names for tax purposes, which is why he probably didn't know how many houses he actually formally owns?

So. what?

Frank P - I think the Gramsci long march through The Speccie is mainly confined to James Forsyth who adores Obama to pieces. Inside the Beltway!

THX1138

Looks Like The Convention is packing an 8 point bump punch.

FYI Kerry got no bump from the convention