Republican National Convention

The senator from South Carolina did his best to sell the success of the surge for his pal John McCain. The crowd, however, had to be coaxed into enthusiastic agreement on the prospects for victory in Iraq. In the stilted zingers department, he referred to Barack Obama's "buddies at moveon.org," and suggested the Democratic nominee was patronizing towards US troops. For all his Southern enthusiasm and moral certainty, he didn't have the audience in his hands at the beginning, middle, or end — when, of all things, they seemed relieved.

— by Mark Halperin

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