Would've Been Perfect if They'd Only Sent Scarborough to Cover the Tour de France

Another good night of speeches from Boston.  Teresa Heinz Kerry did what she needed to do, framing her attackers as the sort of insecure muscleheads who call any strong woman a bitch:

My right to speak my mind, to have a voice, to be what some have called "opinionated" is a right I deeply and profoundly cherish.  And my only hope is that one day soon, my only hope is that, one day soon, women, who have all earned their right to their opinions instead of being labeled opinionated will be called smart and well-informed, just like men. 

Ron Reagan delivered a solid speech on stem-cell research which was heartfelt and strongly worded but notable mostly because it was Ron Reagan speaking at the Democratic convention.  I've liked Ron Reagan ever since he parodied Risky Business on Saturday Night Live, but his speech was clearly the weakest of the evening.  MSNBC's Chris Mathews, however, gave it the most gushing praise.  Why?  Easy: the man's a colleague.

Speaking of media whores, it's been a little gruesome listening to Joe Scarborough criticize Heinz Kerry's and Bill and Hillary Clinton's morals.  Hey, Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?  Hey, Joe, at least Bill C. didn't murder Monica Lewinsky.

It is impossible, however, to overstate the brilliance of the keynote speech, given by the first African-American President, Barack Obama.  The speech had great, quotable moments . . .

We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.

. . . but it wasn't a soundbite speech.  It was what I had begun to think we'd never hear again in American politics: poetry.  I wasn't sure about the "keep it positive at the convention" edicts we heard about (and the speakers haven't completely resisted the urge to take some underhanded swipes at Bush, thank God), but after hearing Heinz Kerry and Obama rhapsodize about America, after having to wipe the tears from my eyes, after hearing even the pundits (Scarborough excepted) get caught up in the red-white-and-blueness of it all, I'm beginning to think it was a good idea. 

To everything there is a season.  Loved Fahrenheit 9-11.  But I'm also loving this classy, elegant reminder that the flag doesn't belong to the Republicans.

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