rnc 1

OK, good call on toning down the first night of the big political convention. Caring for the needy from the dance floor isn't very convincing. I don't think anyone on the sinking Titanic was reassured of their safety when the music played on. OK again, bad comparison. The storm damage on the gulf coast wasn't as bad as a doomed ship, but you get the point. Bringing the first lady and Mrs. McCain out together was a good thing too. Their quiet encouragement and pleasant demeanor was reassuring. But, knowing the political managers behind the scenes, I can only imagine the hand wringing and strategic maneuvering going on to get things back to original business as soon as possible. Considering that no political convention has ever been held this late in the year, I can see why they were so anxious. Tick-tock, tick tock...

So when business got underway on night two it was political convention as usual. And it should've been. The Democrats had a full week to read their script. The Republicans deserved the same opportunity. What was really cool this night though was having a man like Joe Lieberman, who was once in this party's direct line of fire, stand on a GOP stage and be so respected and welcomed. I thought it was nice. He said some great things too. He seems to be such a uniter, but on things that can be compromised on.

Political conventions are supposed to be loud and crazy. Speeches at political conventions are supposed to be raucous and constantly interrupted by chants and slogans. But when Fred Thompson took the stage and began sharing the story of the wounded and captured John McCain, it got just as crazily quiet. I got text messages from a couple of my friends, a Repub and a Dem. They were both moved by his words. He gave such a passionate, entertaining, compelling and emotional account of naval aviator McCain's time as a prisoner of war. He admitted that this doesn't qualify anyone as the free world's leader, but surviving to serve as now Senator McCain does is still pretty remarkable I think. The images formed by the words of a skilled orator can be riveting. Of course, Fred got into the nitty-gritty partisan stuff too. I thought he had some really clever gentle slaps for the opposition.

The only thing that sorta distracted me was the slow-mo waving flag on the huge screen behind the podium. It gave the illusion that the talker was on some sort of moving stage. The wide shots reminded me of that old Patton movie. I wondered what happened to that gargantuan screen they used at the Olympics. Then there was the guy in the audience who kept yelling, no screaming, "Yeah!!" all night long. I don't know why I heard him above the other 25,000 people in the room except that the Kentucky delegation had really good seats toward the front (courtesy of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) and I know a guy here who is very politically active and screams at our rallies all the time.

In my opinion it was a cautiously good night for the Republicans. President Bush stopped in via video to say hello. Laura Bush is always a pleasure. I'm really, really anxious now to hear from the Alaska governor.