By Steve Holland
ST. PAUL (Reuters) - Republican John McCain takes his turnat centre stage of his big St. Paul party on Thursday to layout why he should be elected U.S. president, after his No. 2,Sarah Palin, excited Republican loyalists.
For McCain, 72, it is the pinnacle of his career. Theformer Vietnam war prisoner, long considered by many a maverickin his party and distrusted by some in the conservative base,will receive the long-sought nomination to be his party'scandidate in the November 4 election.
In a speech scheduled for about 10:30 p.m. EDT (3:30 a.m.British time, Friday) speech, McCain will discuss his militarybackground and his long career in public service, pledge towork in a bipartisan way and draw a stark contrast between hisvision of the future and that of Democratic rival Barack Obama.
Workers rebuilt the convention stage to resemble a "theatrein the round" to enable McCain to appear in the kind oftown-hall setting that he enjoys on the campaign trail.
"John McCain will speak directly to the American peopleabout his vision for reforming Washington, getting our economyback on track and securing the peace for the next generation,"McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said.
"He's obviously very excited, and after the address by Gov.Palin last night, we are having two mavericks at the top of theticket," Rogers said.
Democrats begged to differ, charging that McCain offersmore of the same policies as President George W. Bush.Democrats are trying to use Bush's unpopularity and Americans'desire for change as a tool to defeat McCain.
Palin, the Alaska governor and McCain's vice presidentialrunning mate, on Wednesday night electrified Republicandelegates at the nominating convention with red-meat rhetoricagainst Obama and his running mate, veteran Sen. Joe Biden.
The Obama campaign said it had yet to hear how McCain andPalin would restore strong growth to the tepid U.S. economy.
Obama's senior adviser Robert Gibbs told MSNBC her speechand others throughout the night "were exceedingly negative,exceedingly divisive. And it sounded a lot like the politicsthat we're used to in the last eight years,"
Republican strategist Vin Weber said McCain needs to try totake away Obama's advantage as a change agent.
"He needs to dispel the notion that he's a status quo, Bushthird-term candidate," Weber said.
EXPERIENCE DEBATE
Palin's mocking critique of Obama and the Washington elitecharged up Republicans looking for signs of hope that she andMcCain can win the White House.
She cheerfully shot down criticism from Democrats that herexperience as governor and ex-mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska,did not match Obama's as leader of a large presidentialcampaign.
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'communityorganizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities," shesaid in a swipe at Obama's own early career in Chicago.
Democrats argue that McCain, by picking the relativelyuntested and unknown Palin, had ceded his argument that Obamawas too inexperienced to be president.
But McCain said he was satisfied she had the rightexperience and "over time people will compare heraccomplishments with that of Senator Obama and his are verymeagre."
"She is experienced, she's talented and she knows how tolead," McCain told ABC's "Good Morning America." "This is whatAmericans want. They don't want somebody who (has) franklynecessarily gone to Harvard or an Ivy League school."
Experts said Palin, only the second woman to be a vicepresidential nominee of a major U.S. political party, was aplus for the Republican ticket, especially in attracting theconservative base that has sometimes been at odds with McCain.
Biden took what was likely to be his party's line -- praiseher speaking but not her message.
"I was impressed by that," Biden said of the speech onABC's "Good Morning America."
"I also was impressed with what I didn't hear. I didn'thear a word mentioned about the middle class or health care orhow people are going to fill up their tanks. I didn't hear asingle word about how you're going to get a kid throughcollege. So I was impressed by the speech but also about what Ididn't hear spoken."
(Additional reporting by Charles Abbott in Washington;Editing by Howard Goller, Jackie Frank and Eric Walsh)
