ST. PAUL, MN. -- Senator John McCain took the stage to accept the Republican nomination for president. And as he faces a rival whose platform is based on change, McCain also vowed to shake up Washington.
"Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming," McCain said.
McCain's been part of that Washington crowd for nearly three decades, but he emphasized his reputation as a maverick.
McCain strove to distance himself from the current White House, while not alienating the party faithful with whom Bush remains popular.
"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. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not," said McCain.
John McCain gets a hero's welcome Thursday night as he accepted the Republican nomination in St. Paul. He vowed to clean up Washington and keep the country safe. Now, both he and rival Barack Obama head into what promises to be a hotly contested general election fight. Molly Kroon has more.
McCain took the stage one night after his running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani leveled, pointed at times, attacks against Obama and the Democrats. Still, McCain struck a gentler tone, calling for a new era of post-partisanship.
"The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you," McCain said.
And he sought to tamp down criticism by the Democrats that the Republicans hadn't addressed the battered economy at the convention saying he recognized tough times for many.
'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," said McCain.
Evoking his campaign slogan "Country First", McCain recounted his time as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's," said McCain.
And now it's onto what is expected to be an intense general election fight, as the country decides if they're in love with him.