Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Thoughts about the first night of the GOP convention

A few random thoughts about the opening night of the Republican National Convention:

-The good news for the Republicans: Joe Lieberman was just as exciting as he was when he was Al Gore's running mate in 2000.

-The bad news for the Republicans: Joe Lieberman was just as exciting as he was when he was Al Gore's running mate in 2000.

-Lieberman's speech was not bad, but former Sen. Fred Thompson's speech was the one that should have been the concluding speech of the evening. Lieberman was a letdown after Thompson's speech.

-Listening to the Morning Joe program on MSNBC this morning, I was surprised to hear criticism of Thompson's speech and praise for the one delivered via satellite by President Bush. Perhaps it was because he was not in the hall, but Bush's speech did not deliver the kind of electricity you expect from the sitting president at his party's convention, maybe because of his not being there in person.

-It is obvious Thompson's heart was never in his own presidential run because the man can give a strong speech when he is on his game. He hit Barack Obama hard and offered a spirited defense of Sarah Palin.

-Not having Dick Cheney at the convention and not even hearing his name mentioned (unless I missed it) was a plus for the GOP.

-Prediction: Sarah Palin will deliver a top-notch address at the GOP Convention tonight.

-Second prediction- The New York Times, ABC, and other media outlets who have been all over Gov. Palin will continue to deliver hard hitting stories. I have no problem with that when the stories are connected to actions she has actually taken as an elected official, but this nonsensical and intrusive coverage of her family is inexcusable. No 17-year-old deserves to be in the national spotlight because of her pregnancy. To paraphrase what Joseph Welch asked Joe McCarthy at the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1953, "At long last, media, have you no shame?"

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