People are skeptical of John McCain’s ability to adopt a “change” or “reform” message in a year that overwhelmingly favors Democrats. As one Republican strategist has put it, by choosing Palin, McCain’s “steel hammer of experience has turned into a rubber mallet.” Maybe. From the looks of things yesterday, the McCain campaign isn’t backing down from pointing out that McCain is more experienced than Barack Obama. But the campaign is also championing McCain as a reformer. Governor Palin’s speech tonight will carry the same message. An unpopular incumbent president replaced by a reform-minded candidate from his own party? That’s not as unusual as it sounds. It happened in France last year. Here’s Christopher Caldwell’s report from Paris back then.