It was delivered in a style all his own.

"He's not a Sarah Palin, he doesn't speak like Barack Obama, he's John Mccain, and nobody can be like him," said Gene Ward of the Hawaii Delegation.

It capped off a week focused on service and country first and what this crowd says is straight talk.

"This is vintage John Mccain. What you see, what you hear is what you get. John is not a twister and a spinner."

It was a moment Mccain's hometown delegates have long awaited and they say the support of Hawaii's Governor Linda Lingle for the Mccain campaign has been crucial.

"It's absolutely important to him -- Governor Lingle's support and the people of Hawaii's support is absolutely critical to the success of john mccain," said John Echols of the Arizona Delegation.

Putting literal strength into the John Mccain campaign, a speech just hours earlier by Hawaii's decathalon gold medalist Brian Clay.

"Now the big difference between the decatlon and politics........that's when the real work begins."

His appearance a surprise arranged after he told governor Lingle what a fan of Mccain's he is. Lingle has been on a nonstop circuit here at the convention, speaking for the campaign especially when it comes to VP candidate Governor Sarah Palin.

"I've just come from a lunch with sarah and our fellow republican governors."

"When I stood up at the luncheon I said i'm the new body double for Sarah Palin, so I think I'll be going around a lot letting people know my personal experiences with her," said Governor Linda Lingle.

Outside the convention center protests continued.

The security measures to protect st paul on this final night include everything from bolstered police forces to the guardian angels citizens brigade.

Even before the sun went down, preparations to protect the city included dump trucks full of sand to block the bridges, also cannisters of gas for crowd dispersion.

Back inside the xcel arena the final night proceeded without disturbance.