McCain set to accept party nomination (1st Lead)

St Paul, Minnesota - John McCain will accept the Republican Party's presidential nomination Thursday in a speech expected to highlight his record as a reformer not afraid to oppose his own party, while Democratic rival Barack Obama hit back at his opponent for ignoring the concerns of ordinary voters. McCain was to be introduced by his wife Cindy on the final night of the Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota, and will likely draw some sharp distinctions with the unpopular presidency of his Republican compatriot George W Bush. 'If Americans want straight talk and the plain truth they should take a good close look at John McCain ... a man who's served in Washington without ever becoming a Washington insider,' Cindy McCain will say, according to excerpts of her speech released in advance. Tom Ridge, a former Pennsylvania governor and the country's first homeland security secretary after the September 11, 2001, attacks, will describe McCain as a 'warrior who has sometimes stood alone,' according to excerpts released in advance. Obama criticized his Republican opponents on Thursday for a series of negative attacks during the convention and too heavy a focus on McCain's personal story as a Vietnam War veteran, while talking little about economic issues. 'They've had a lot to say about me, but they haven't had anything to say about you,' Obama said at a York, Pennsylvania rally. 'You haven't heard a word about how we're going to deal with any aspect of the economy that is affecting you and your pocketbook day- to-day,' he said. In preparation for McCain's speech, the convention stage was retooled and the podium extended further out into the crowd of thousands of delegates, creating more of a townhall-style gathering, which is famously McCain's favourite type of venue. McCain's address follows that of his vice presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who gave a fiery speech Wednesday night that drew sharp distinctions with Obama and at time ridiculed his lack of experience. 'I've been called worse on the basketball court. It's not that big of a deal,' Obama said of the speech by Palin, who earned the nickname 'Sarah Barracuda' by leading her high school basketball team to a state championship. Obama's campaign said her speech undermined the McCain-Palin ticket's effort to portray themselves as candidates of change. 'The speech that Governor Palin gave was well delivered, but it was written by George Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years,' said Bill Burton, the spokesman for the Obama-Joe Biden campaign. Palin, who was a relatively unknown politician from one of the least-populated US states until selected as McCain's running mate last week, addressed delegates in what was seen as a speech to introduce her to Americans. More than 37 million people watched her convention speech, according to Nielsen Media Research, only abut 1 million less than watched Obama's acceptance speech last week. Palin touted herself as a reformist who understands the needs of working class families and said McCain has a track record of getting things done - a shot at Obama's perceived lack of experience. '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 to an enthusiastic crowd.