View our special report on the Republican Convention in St. Paul.

Watch our Top Story: 'Palin: McCain's anti-Obama weapon?'

In a rousing closing speech at the Republican Convention, John McCain accepted his party's presidential nomination and vowed to fight for change.

 
"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," McCain said in his speech at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday evening.

 
“This speech was a very big step up for McCain,” says Catherine Galloway, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in St. Paul. “Many Republicans at the convention feel he hit it out of the park; they are absolutely delighted with the entire convention, and especially with McCain’s speech,” Galloway reported.

 
Borrowing a line from his Democrat rival Barack Obama, the Republican presidential nominee vowed that “change” would come if voters elected him on Nov. 04. He promised to fight for change in government and to improve the tarnished image of his party. “We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption,” McCain told his supporters.

 
The Arizona senator promised a bipartisan approach on national issues, stressing his record on the matter. "I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed," he said. "I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have the record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not."

 
Briefly picking on core issues, McCain promised lower taxes and cuts in government spending. In a mild attack on Democratic policies, he said his rivals would do the very opposite, namely “raise taxes and government expenditure”.

 
‘Stand up and fight’

 
Recalling his five years in captivity in Vietnam, a patriotic McCain said the experience made him realize how much he loved his country and taught him that his country’s interests should always come first. He urged his supporters to “Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight…we're Americans, and we never give up."

 
US President George W. Bush, who endorsed McCain on Tuesday, was mentioned only once in the almost one hour-long speech. McCain has been increasingly distancing himself from the unpopular Bush administration.

 
“McCain did exactly what he needed to do, he displayed his experience and knowledge on the issues and that’s what people want to see and hear,” according to Princella Smith, Chief advocate for American Solutions, a non-partisan pressure group. “His style is not like Senator Obama’s. McCain is not going to come out with flowery speeches, he’s a straight talker,” Smith added.

 
However, unlike his running mate Sarah Palin, McCain’s speech failed to enthrall the Republican-packed arena. The Alaskan Governor’s fierce attack on Obama on Wednesday drew roars from the crowd, energizing the party's conservative base.

 
“This is not McCain’s natural forum,” says Galloway. “He is much more comfortable in small town hall settings where he can get his personal message across, this is was way bigger than that.”

 
Praising his vice-presidential candidate Palin, a beaming McCain said he couldn’t wait to introduce her to Washington. “She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down,” said a beaming McCain.

 
The Republican convention, initially dampened by Hurricane Gustav, ended in high spirits with most Republicans convinced that they too have a winning ticket.

Reactions from the rival camp

 
McCain’s convention was a stark contrast to Obama's spectacular convention, which ended in an open-air football stadium in Denver last week.  McCain stood on a simple stage stretching out into seated Republican delegates.

 
Reacting to McCain’s speech and the Republican convention, the Obama campaign said the Republican candidate’s policies remained close to those seen under President George W. Bush in the last eight years.

 
"He admonished the 'old, do-nothing crowd' in Washington, but ignored the fact that he's been part of that crowd for 26 years, opposing solutions on health care, energy, and education," Obama spokesman Bill Burton told Reuters.

 
Crystal Fleming, a Paris-based member of Democrats Abroad told FRANCE 24, “John McCain has been with Bush all the time, except for 10%,  it’s a risk we can’t take with 80% of the Americans ready for change.”

 
McCain and Palin set off on the campaign trail immediately after the convention ended on Thursday night. They are due to arrive in Wisconsin for a morning campaign event, before heading on to Michigan, Colorado and New Mexico. Meanwhile, rival Obama will be campaigning in the key swing state of Pennsylvania on Friday.

Watch our interview with Hollywood actor and McCain backer John Voight from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.