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Obama on Warpath Pleases, Worries Pundits

It was the right speech ... the speech Dem had to give ... a mashup of speeches ...

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 29, 2008 1:39 PM CDT

(Newser) – The chattering class saw strength—even Rovian aggression—in Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, for better or worse. A sampling of what observers are saying:

The Democratic nominee managed to be about voters, not himself, magnificently deflecting John McCain’s entire “celebrity” narrative, Michael Tomasky writes in the Guardian.
This speech is exactly what Democrats have been calling for: a bare-knuckled attack on McCain, challenging the Republican "not to stoop to questioning his motives," Dan Balz writes in the Washington Post.

"If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check," writes Andrew Sullivan for the Atlantic. Sullivan calls Obama's speech a "transformational moment," forcefully rebutting every McCain attack while giving national security back to the Democrats.
But that attack seemed at odds with the second half of the speech, wherein Obama called for a post-partisan Washington, John Harris and Jim Vandehei note on Politico: “It's hard to practice new politics and old at the very same time.”

[Quotes (3)]

Barack Obama gives a thumbs-up after speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last night. (AP Photo)

Barack Obama delivers his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last night. (AP Photo)

Barack Obama Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, on the final day of the Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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[Obama] did not send his shock troops over the moon in Messiah ecstasy. Rather, he equipped them with battle armor. - Michael Tomasky, Guardian

Blurring inconsistencies under clouds of polished language is the right of any politician. - John Harris and Jim Vandehei, Politico

The speechmaker showed, in words, that he was also a man of experience, and a man who wanted to give something back to the people who gave it to him. - Patrick Healy, New York Times

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Obama on Warpath Pleases, Worries Pundits

It was the right speech ... the speech Dem had to give ... a mashup of speeches ...