It was a night of balloons and confetti, but after ten days of rousing speeches and back to back, and often rollercoaster, Democratic and Republican conventions, it came as something of an anti-climax. Not known for his soaring oratory, John McCain nevertheless put in a solid performance that was received warmly – if not ecstatically – by the final night convention crowd.

But his speech, which was interrupted several times by anti-war protesters, was not intended to be a rabble rouser. The short movie introducing the Republican nominee centred on his five-and-a-half-year stint as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.