The general begins

So McCain must have thought a speech last night--when so many Americans would already be tuned in to watch the end of the Democratic primary season--was an ideal opportunity to contrast himself with Obama, the new presumptive Democratic nominee.

But in retrospect, the contrast was a bit overwhelming... and in Obama's favor. Even a bunch of Republican strategists were concerned about the staging and delivery of McCain's remarks.

Meanwhile, Obama's voice soared, and with a backdrop of 30,000 fired up supporters.

Hmm.

More from First Read:

*** Give that man a mic: On paper, doing what McCain did last night -- delivering a primetime speech on the final day of the Democratic primary, with several well-written barbs at Obama -- was a good idea. But in practice, it might have been a big mistake. We received numerous emails from even GOP sources, who weren’t impressed with the speech or that green background. Where were the people standing behind him!!??, asked one unaffiliated Republican strategist. The truth is, McCain just isn’t a podium guy. He needs the microphone in his hand and the ability to speak off the cuff. That’s his strength. And, ironically, it's Obama's weakness. While Obama has his share of challenges as we head into the general election, perhaps McCain’s biggest one besides the problems with the GOP brand is rising to the occasion to give a speech that tries to come close to what Obama can deliver. The debate negotiations between these two are going to fascinating, because McCain's going to want more off-the-cuff, town-hall formats; Obama will want a podium. The good news for McCain: There aren't multiple election nights where the country compares the two side-by-side. There are, at a minimum, four events: the conventions and the three debates. By the way, the substance of McCain's speech was very reassuring to many conservative reformers. They liked what they READ, but are they comfortable with what they HEARD?