I Like Al

Despite the fact that he didn't fight the Bush theft of the WH to the bitter end.

His delivery is not great, but the words are good, and he even has some great sound bytes.

The oil companies have a "50-year lease on the Republican Party and they're drilling it for all it's worth." Special interests own the Bush Administration "lock stock and barrel after barrel."

$100,000 Rhetoric Question

Gov. Richardson, who's really getting the crowd going, just asked the conventioners: "Is anybody here gonna miss Dick Cheney?"

Choose Your Words Carefully!

PBS has a clip of an interview last night with former Secretary of the Treasury, Bob Rubin, being questioned about whether Barack Obama has the experience to be president, and he said: "I think he's very well equipped."

Race is just under the whole thing, isn't it?

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

DNC Convention coverage: Dude!

Who was that fired-up speaker in the John Kerry suit? Who knew?

And, as only he can, Bill Clinton said all the right things. And he said them about Obama. Joe Biden has a couple of tough acts to follow.

If you're not watching PBS, you missed a conversation with Walter Mondale. Too bad we don't have more politicians like that these days.

Update Apprently the networks didn't show all of Kerry's speech. Too bad. It started out rather Kerry-like, but he got wound up really good and made a very good speech of it. If you didn't see it, check it out from TPM's YouTube clip.

I was thinking about Bill's speech a little more. What struck me as surprising was that he said the words Hillary wouldn't say: Barack Obama is ready to be president. He only said one thing about Hillary - that "his" candidate didn't win - and then he went on to say that Barack Obama is the right man for the job. Interesting. He also said that people the world over were more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power. David Brooks (PBS commentator) said that was a pretty slogan but he didn't think Putin or Ahmadinejad were impressed by the power of our example.

And then I was thinking about the claim that McCain has it over Obama due to experience. I wonder why the Democrats haven't taken up the Freewheelin' Franklinesque mantra that good judgment can substitute for experience, but experience cannot substitute for good judgment.

(You don't know Freewheelin' Franklin? Then be sure to check the "mantra" link.)

Caged in Denver

With Bush fresh back from chastising the Chinese for human rights violations and John McCain berating the Russians, the Democratic Convention planners are injecting themselves onto the civil rights violations screen - with a protest cage.

The 47,000 square foot pen of cha in link fence will be double-fenced, with 8' between fences to prevent "escape." The closest edge of the zone is more than 700 feet from the convention center doors, almost completely blocked by huge media tents, and barely visible from the convention center.

  OpEdNews

Speaking of Dropping Out

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Monday that either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama must drop out of the Democratic presidential race after the June primaries in order to unify the party by the convention and win the election in November.

But Dean didn't say which candidate should drop out, only that it should happen after primary voters have been to the polls.

Dean said that "none of the so-called party elders I talked to" think the contest should go until the convention. "I agree with that," Dean said.

  Yahoo

Because this is a democracy, and anybody can run for president.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.