We’ll have video of Obama’s speech up later tonight, but I wanted to share a quick impression for now.
The speech was great. It hit all the right notes, as I was sure it would. Say what you will about Barack Obama-and a lot of people have-but that man can give a hell of a speech. He hit McCain, tying him to Republican policies and Bush. He nicely deflected the attacks on himself. And he presented progressive, Democratic policies simply and powerfully.
I thought the stage was wonderful. The “Greek columns” were …

The speech that AL Gore gave tonight at the Democratic National Convention:

John Kerry’s speech at the DNC hasn’t gotten a wide amount of recognition, but it was among the best. Kerry certainly had the fire in his belly. I’ve been hearing a lot that the Democrats needed to go on the attack against McCain during this convention, and for anyone who agrees with that attitude, this speech is for you. My favorite lines (paraphrased): “To those who still believe in the myth of a maverick instead of the reality of a politician, I say, let’s compare Senator McCain to candidate McCain.” …

Texas is currently leading the nation in uninsured residents, with nearly 1 in 4 Texans lacking health insurance. Some may hear that and think “Gosh, 25% of the state is uninsured? That’s awful! How can we change our policies so that is no longer the case?” But McCain adviser* John Goodman (no, not that John Goodman) hears that statistic and thinks, “25% uninsured? That sounds awful. How can we change our definitions so that is no longer the case?”
“So I have a solution. And it will cost not …

The speech Joe Biden delivered at the Democratic National Convention last night, following his formal nomination: