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John McCain promised to rise above partisan politics and said in his Republican presidential nomination acceptance speech Thursday that he would bring change to Washington.  

"Change is coming," McCain told cheering supporters.

"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," he said.

"I have that record and the scars to prove it, Sen. Barack Obama does not," he said.

He lamented "constant partisan rancour," in the speech, saying: "It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you."

"I won't you let down," McCain promised the crowd.

McCain constantly portrayed himself as a fighter, someone who would take on numerous special interests in Washington.

He even said that Republicans had lost the trust of the public, but he would win it back. He thanked the "president," but never actually said George Bush in his speech.

McCain had almost gotten lost in the Republican convention as he has been overshadowed by his VP-pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and by hurricane Gustav. Thursday, the stage was all his.

The speech, unlike most others at the Republican convention, spoke about specific issues. It also was much less nasty than nearly all the previous speeches at the convention.

McCain spoke about the economy, which is considered the biggest issue going into the Nov. 4, and the biggest weakness of his campaign.

McCain touted his tax cuts and repeatedly said that Obama would raise taxes, as Palin did in her speech. In reality however, the Tax Policy Center, which is run by two non-partisan think tanks, found that Obama will actually increase overall after-tax incomes for most Americans.

He told the personal stories of citizens hurt by the economy from three different states during his speech -- Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania -- coincidently all key swing states in the election.

McCain also put forward an energy plan that would start "drilling now," for offshore oil, while increasing the use of alternative fuels.

McCain didn't speak about his experiences in Vietnam until the very end of the speech.

He described himself as a cocky, tough kid when he was shot down over the country, but said that all changed when he was put in a cell in Hanoi.

"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's," he said. "I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's."

McCain ended his speech on the idea of service, telling Americans that if they want to change their country they should join its ranks and do something to change it.

Cindy McCain introduced her husband of 28 years, saying that he was a man of steadfast judgment.

"It's going to take someone of unusual strength and character, someone exactly like my husband, to lead us through the reefs and currents that lie ahead. I know John. You can trust his hand at the wheel," she said.

Following Palin

McCain's speech followed a rousing oration delivered by his running mate Palin last night. Palin, the first woman to run on a Republican presidential ticket, made her case for McCain as president and, at times, belittled the Democrats and Obama.

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change," Palin said. Obama has made "change" a central theme of his election campaign.

Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden said that he was impressed by his rival's delivery of her speech.

"I think she's going to be an incredibly competent debater," he said.

However, Biden said he noticed Palin never mentioned health care, education or the middle class.

Palin lashed out at her critics after weathering several days of close media scrutiny, and said she had more quality political experience than Sen. Barack Obama.

"I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone," she said. "But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

Despite its rhetorical punch, Palin's speech had a number of inaccuracies, according to The Associated Press. They include claims that:

• Obama will raise income, business, and investment taxes on Americans. In reality, the Tax Policy Center, which is run by two non-partisan think tanks, found that Obama will actually increase overall after-tax incomes for most Americans.
• She rejected the so-called "bridge to nowhere." In fact, she initially supported the US$398 million plan to build a bridge from a town of about 8,000 residents to a town of 50 residents and an airport. She changed her position after the plan was ridiculed nationally.
• She has "championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress." However, the record doesn't support the claim. Under her governorship, Alaska has asked for $750 million in special federal funding, which was easily the largest per capita request of any U.S. state.

"There wasn't one thing that she said about Obama or what he's proposing that is true," top Obama strategist David Axelrod told reporters in Pennsylvania Thursday.

Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn told Â鶹ӰÊÓ that the speech didn't answer all of the unanswered questions swirling around the relatively unknown national candidate.

"It doesn't allay my concerns about her readiness to be president of the United States," Quinn said.

"She has a snarl worthy of Dick Cheney ... she probably earned that nickname she got in high school -- "Barracuda." She has pretty much Dick Cheney's environmental policies: Drill. Drill. Drill. Drill."

Biden said that when he debated Palin it would be about the issues.

"The way I was raised is: I never, ever, ever attack the other person," he said.

While Palin's speech was a solid hit with the conservative Republican base, it actually galvanized another group -- Democrats.

The Obama campaign said Thursday that it raised more than US$8 million from donors after Palin's speech.