Condi Rice gave a great speech. She still won’t be a contender. – Spectator Blogs

It’s no surprise that John McCain gave a shriveled, bitter, small speech at the Republican convention during which he inadvertently confirmed that the electorate – boobs, nitwits, rubes and all – were quite right to deny him the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. More war, all war, war everywhere was, alas, all McCain had to say. He is a man diminished in every way and it is a sad business to see him so.

More surprising – and pleasingly so – was Condoleezza Rice’s return to form. She gave the best speech of the convention thus far. That this may be a low bar does not mean it’s not one worth clearing. At the risk of granting the rest of these poltroons a comparison they do not merit, Rice gave the first plausibly grown-up speech of the week.

Rice’s speech – the full text of which is here – was deft and interesting in equal measure.