Thought we had some great speeches tonight. But I did not hear much about President Bush or John McCain. Maybe this wasn’t the night for it. Maybe this was Kennedy and Michelle Obama. But they need to go there. See what Begala said in the interview David did with him earlier this evening.
Late Update: A number of readers have written in to say, No, Michelle’s speech was what the night was about. It wasn’t the night for attack, attack, attack. Andrew Sullivan expands on the point — reacting to James Carville, not me. His argument is that the country is convinced Bush was a disaster. They’re pretty convinced that McCain would be more of the same. The real weapon the Republicans have on the table right now is simply burying Obama in so much sleaze, xenophobia and slurs that he becomes unelectable. In that sense, humanizing Obama, discrediting the attacks through an affirmative message, is the key to sealing the deal for Obama. I see that argument. To a significant degree I agree with it. And if this just wasn’t the night for attack, attack, attack, that’d be fine. I just need to know it’s coming and that — even if mainly in the hands of surrogates — it won’t stop until election day. Listen to Begala. It’s not about responding quickly to the attacks. It’s about making McCain respond to Democrats’ attacks.
Tonight is Hillary’s big night at the Dem convention — but some top Hillary advisers don’t plan to stick around Denver until Thursday. That and other political news of the day in today’s TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.
AP finally pushing back against Obama exoticism meme?
When the evening ended following Michelle O’Bama’s speech about her husband, and some cute family unity with Barack Obama seen via satellite, commentators on both CNN and Fox judged that too little had happened on the first night.
“I thought it was a beautiful speech, beautifully done,” said Fox’s Chris Wallace. “But I can’t help but feel after the first night of the convention that it was largely a wasted night.”
GOP operative who brought us George “Macaca” Allen and slave-labor-loving Colorado senate candidate lauds GOP “Ministry of Truth” set up to attack Obama at DNC.
Last night was John McCain’s thirteenth appearance on the Tonight Show. Even more times than Pam Anderson and Dr. Phil.
McCain again accuses Obama of loving himself, hating America.