"Eloquent But Empty"

It became clear last night hat John McCain is running against Barack Obama and vice versa. Both candidates aimed their remarks at the other and not at their primary opponents. McCain's line about "eloquent but empty calls for change" clearly pushed a button in the Obama camp:

ABC News' Ron Claiborne and Teddy Davis Report: Arizona Sen. John McCain unveiled a new line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., following his Tuesday win in Wisconsin's Republican primary.

"I will work hard to make sure Americans aren't deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," said McCain.

The presumed Republican nominee also knocked his likely Democratic opponent by taking a shot at the "confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate."

The Obama camp -- fresh off a big win of their own in Wisconsin -- quickly responded.

"John McCain's remarks tonight shows why he's offering nothing more than a third term of George Bush's policies -– more fear-mongering, more than a century of war in Iraq, and more budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest few at the expense of hardworking Americans," said Obama campaign spokesperson Bill Burton.

A week ago, after winning the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. primaries, McCain suggested without ever using Obama's name that the Illinois Democrat's theme of hope was nothing more than "a platitude."

But Tuesday was the first time that he painted his rival as "eloquent but empty."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded to McCain's barb by accusing the Arizona senator of offering "nothing more than a third term of George Bush's policies: more fear-mongering, more than a century of war in Iraq, and more budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest few at the expense of hardworking Americans."

McCain also used his victory speech to take what some might interpret as a subtle dig at Obama's wife.

"I have never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I haven’t been proud of the privilege" of being an American, said McCain. "Don't tell me what we can't do. Don't tell me we can’t make our country stronger and the world safer. We can. We must. And when I'm President we will."

Unfortunately, McCain is a very imperfect messenger for his speech. As I said last night, the speech would have been very effective...if delivered by Fred Thompson. McCain uses a teleprompter and not particularly well. The visuals at his events are poor - usually just McCain standing in front of a backdrop or with a bunch of old GOP pols standing behind him.

Obama, on the other hand, did 45 minutes off-the-cuff in front of 20,000 people in a basketball arena in Houston. He had enthusiastic (if somewhat distracted by watching themselves on the stadium monitors) fans in the shot behind him. There is great enthusiasm among his fervent followers. They clearly are caught up in the emotion because they never notice the emptiness of the message.

I don't think Obama will be able to get away with the same empty message in the Fall. He'll certainly be called on in by the GOP, and perhaps even by the press. Unless Obama can come up with something more than platitudes, he and the Dems could be in for a disappointing November.