The Moment

This one's going to be brief. Just got back from Invesco, and Obama's taking of the podium in front of more than 75,000 people almost made me cry. The love from that audience is a once in a lifetime thing in politics. The speech itself almost didn't matter.

And I was there.

Another Home Run

Those crafty Clintons! All this time they kept people worried about what they were going to say in their speeches here at the Democratic National Convention. And all the while, the two of them must have been plotting to give Barack Obama the biggest convention boost people have seen in a long time. Bill Clinton seemed like his old self Wednesday night. Gone was the red faced anger so often seen on the campaign trail.

For a little while last night, it was 1992, or '96, or 2000 all over again. Bill Clinton was once again the man from Hope. He gave a ringing endorsement of Obama, and ticked off reason after reason he must be elected president (he rattles off statistics better than anyone I've ever watched). For the first time, he tied his own successes as president to the potential he sees in the man nominated by acclamation just hours before. That too came as a bit of a surprise. Hillary Clinton released her delegates Wednesday, and the roll call vote got as far as her state of New York when the nomination was affirmed.

It was a bit of theater on a day and night of theater. One didn't envy Joe Biden's position in having to follow Clinton's powerful speech. In fact, as people poured down the escalators and out of the Pepsi Center before the nominee's turn to speak, you began to wonder how many people would actually be left to hear him. No worries. Biden's speech was quite adequate, and at it's conclusion came the surprise appearance of Barack Obama himself. That brought the house down, and certainly made some of those who left wish they'd stayed.

So now the stage changes from the indoor arena to the outdoor stadium. Al Gore and Barack Obama now put the exclamation point on a Democratic Convention that seems to have achieved its goal of unity.

America awaits its nominee.

Pulling It Off

The talk of Tuesday's session of the Democratic National Convention was of course, Hillary Clinton. Would she do right by Barack Obama, or would her most ardent supporters still have reason to either sit out the election or vote for John McCain? We got our answer last night. Her speech was some of her best work, and she made a powerful case for backing the party's nominee. Those skeptics (myself included) who though she might not give it her all were turned into believers.

Hillary Clinton was fire and grace at the same time. she thanked her supporters, and invoked the images of several from the campaign trail. It was, in a word, masterful. Quite frankly, I worried she might slide right up to the edge of self indulgence. After all, she had 18 million people backing her. She didn't even come close. She talked about a veteran, a single mom, and yes, Harriet Tubman in making the case for unity. I don't think there were five people in the Pepsi Center last night who didn't think she made it work.

Barack Obama, who was in Montana with a family who had a number of unexpected guests for dinner, must have been both heartened and relieved. The stage has now been set for his acceptance speech Thursday.

If anyone ought to be nervous about having to follow Hillary Clinton's speech, it's her husband. He goes on tonight.

Let's hope he's as good.