John McCain's speech seems to be going over pretty well with the portion of the audience that's open to being swayed. There's at least one McCain opponent here at Blogger's Corner who confessed that the speech didn't matter; he just hates McCain. Among the rest, the response seems pretty positive.
Jim Geraghty says it seemed to get a warm reception. Kathryn Jean Lopez says he did what he needed to do. Erick Erickson calls it the 'best speech' that McCain has given this season and Ed Morrissey says it was an excellent speech that reached out to conservatives 'in a heartfelt manner.'
I tend to agree. Overall, I think he came across as somewhat humble and respectful of his conservative critics -- which represents an important change. A key passage (as far as I'm concerned) is this:
Surely, I have held other positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won't pretend otherwise nor would you permit me to forget it. On the issue of illegal immigration, a position which provoked the outspoken opposition of many conservatives, I stood my ground aware that my position would imperil my campaign. I respect your opposition for I know that the vast majority of critics to the bill based their opposition in a principled defense of the rule of law. And while I and other Republican supporters of the bill were genuine in our intention to restore control of our borders, we failed, for various and understandable reasons, to convince Americans that we were. I accept that, and have pledged that it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first, and only after we achieved widespread consensus that our borders are secure, would we address other aspects of the problem in a way that defends the rule of law and does not encourage another wave of illegal immigration.
McCain's biggest problem with conservatives so far seems to have been his style -- the way he flaunted his differences with them, and impugned their motives. The tack he took today will serve him well. Over time, it might be sufficient to quiet the doubts and fears that he has provoked to date.
I think the speech overall showed why McCain can be a very strong candidate in the general election. When the mood strikes him, he can mount a strong appeal to conservatives -- on national security, spending, taxes, judges, and other issues. On spending in particular, he and Ron Paul are probably the only elected officials who come across as even remotely credible in promising to reduce federal spending.
At the same time, he has more credibility as a reformer than do any of the other candidates. Independents know that when he advertises his independence, he means it. The combination could be a very strong general election profile.
