September 5, 2008 McCain Part 2: Handling protests, praising Palin Play video

(NECN: Saint Paul, Minn.)- In a speech punctuated with frequest applause and an occasional protest, Arizona Sen. john McCain accepted his party's Presidential nomination Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

The early parts of the speech were interrupted by a handful of protesters, whose shouts against the war in Iraq delegates tried to drown out with chants of "USA, USA." McCain himself then tried to calm his own crowd, telling them, "Please, my friends, please don't be diverted by the brown noise and the static. You know, I'm going to talk about it some more, but Americans want us to stop yelling at each other, OK?"

TO SEE PART ONE OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE TO SEE PART THREE OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE TO SEE PART FOUR OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE TO SEE PART FIVE OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE TO SEE PART SIX OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE TO SEE PART SEVEN OF McCAIN'S SPEECH, CLICK HERE

He also praised his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. Of her, McCain said, "She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She's tackled tough problems like

energy independence and corruption. She's balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She's reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She's the mother of five children. She's helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries."

"I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin," McCain said. "And when we tell you we're going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country's problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We've got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you."

SEN McCAIN'S PREPARED TEXT FOR THIS SECTION OF HIS SPEECH IS BELOW:

These are tough times for many of you. You're worried about keeping your job or finding a new one, and are struggling to put food on the table and stay in your home. All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way. And that's just what I intend to do: stand on your side and fight for your future.

And I've found just the right partner to help me shake up Washington, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She's tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She's balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She's reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She's the mother of five children. She's helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries.

She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down. I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.

I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin. And when we tell you we're going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country's problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We've got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.

You know, I've been called a maverick; someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.