ST. PAUL, Minn. — Members of the Rhode Island convention delegation said last night that Republican presidential nominee John McCain balanced his appeal as a prospective wartime commander in chief with a pledge to shake up Washington in ways that will change the lives of ordinary Americans for the better.

Governor Carcieri said McCain’s life story of wartime heroism and maverick reform work in Washington “is extraordinarily important in showing the people that he understands what our country is all about.”

On the one hand, Carcieri said, “What he gave of his life for his country” is an important sign of his character and judgment as a prospective president. “It’s a piece of the picture, not the whole thing, but a very important piece in these times,” the governor said. On the other hand, Carcieri said, McCain made a solid presentation of how he will handle bread-and-butter economic issues.

House Minority Leader Bob Watson, Rhode Island’s delegation chairman, said, “Nothing worries me about this message or this convention here tonight,” despite its difficult start this week with delays over Hurricane Gustav and controversies around McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “This convention should worry the Democrats big time. Coming out of St. Paul we are unified and energized,” Watson said.

When McCain told the cheering convention how much he looks forward to introducing the scrappy Palin to Washington, convention guest Marilyn Trillo exclaimed, “Fabulous!” Trillo, whose husband Joe is the state’s newly elected national GOP committeeman, said McCain was “right on the money in framing how she will change the way things are done in Washington.”

Former Navy Secretary J. William Middendorf II said of McCain, “They call him a maverick and he is one of the few in Washington who has the guts to take on all this wasteful spending that goes on to buy votes.”

Middendorf, who has praised McCain’s possessive, stern approach to potential adversaries around the world, said McCain also knows how to improve the operation of the Pentagon.

Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian, a veteran convention-goer, said, “There has been an amazing amount of energy here,” around McCain and Palin. Avedesian also gave McCain points for deftly defusing an interruption early in his speech from a heckling protester. “It was really good the way he reminded us that the American people want us to stop yelling at each other,” said Avedesian. The mayor also praised what he called McCain’s conciliatory words for Barack Obama, the Democrats’ nominee.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said that McCain “touched the hearts of the American people and he laid out an agenda.”

Rhode Island Republican Chairman Giovanni Cicione said, “This was the speech of a president, not a pop star. He laid out a good education agenda and a good job-creation agenda without omitting his ability to work across the aisle with Democrats and independents.”

John Scott, the Republican who is challenging Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, praised McCain for “Talking in more specifics” than Obama did last week. “He laid out his entire plan tonight and a good one. It certainly resonated with the crowd.”

State Rep. Christine Callahan, of Middletown, said McCain proved himself last night to be “such an inspiring individual. He has so much life experience and challenges that he’s met. His dedication to service above self and his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate gives the Republicans such an opportunity to do so much for this country on education, on energy, and on keeping taxes low.”

Outgoing National Republican Committeeman Rob Manning said McCain was “very effective in presenting a very different image from the image that Obama presented in his speech last week. He showed elements of character and elements of leadership. He responded to the attacks and the high-flown rhetoric of the Democrats. This was the presentation of a real person.”

Former state House Minority Leader Brad Gorham said, “McCain was generous. He wasn’t mean spirited. He is a real American and that was a real American speech.”

jmulligan@belo-dc.com