LIVE THREAD: DNC Convention

OMG.

Some idiot on cnn just said, you know how John Kerry is the sexiest man in America, I think Terayza Heinz Kerry may be the sexiest spouse in America.

I'm finally going to be sick.

Fox would have killed in the ratings if they had just shown the guaranteed shocked reaction to Tuhrehzahs feeling-too-good speech.

(I bet they were laughing AT her)

Someone on CNN said that?

No surprise there.

But I did turn off CNN because I knew listening to the post-speech commentary would raise my blood pressure.

THE CNN PANEL JUST DESCRIBED TERESA AS: "Strong, soulful, tender, sexy, sense of humor."

Is it possible I was on drugs, not her?

Did you notice that after her speech, her sons took her by the arm and kind of directed her. They were walking very cautiously with her also.

Fraulein Klepp in "From Russia with Love"?

Not just an accent.

An accent of no intelligible origin.

She belongs to no culture. She has no origin. She is the new woman.

CNN: She's wonderful......the sexiest spouse in national politics.

Kerry's Wife Presents Husband As Patriot

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040728/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_heinz_kerry&cid=694&ncid=2043

By JENNIFER PETER, Associated Press Writer

BOSTON - Teresa Heinz Kerry presented her husband to the world Tuesday as a defender of freedom, environmental savior, and all-American patriot who would not "mistake stubbornness for strength" as the nation's next commander in chief.

"John is a fighter," Heinz Kerry said of her husband, a Vietnam War combat veteran, on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. "He earned his medals the old-fashioned way — by putting his life on the line for his country."

In a 20-minute speech, Heinz Kerry made a single personal reference to her husband.

"Today, the better angels of our nature are just waiting to be summoned," she said, quoting from Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural speech. "We only require a leader who is willing to call on them ... I think I've found just the guy. I'm married to him."

Kerry watched his wife's speech from his Philadelphia hotel room, on his last night before his arrival in Boston Wednesday.

Her speech capped a night focused on shoring up the candidate's national security credentials.

"For him, the names of many friends inscribed in the Vietnam Memorial — that cold stone — testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake stubbornness for strength," said Heinz Kerry, who married the nominee-to-be in 1995. "In America, the true patriots are those who dare speak truth to power."

Heinz Kerry said her husband is tested by war, but "knows the importance of getting it right." A Navy officer, Kerry was awarded Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat "V" and three Purple Hearts for Vietnam War service.

Heinz Kerry made the biggest speech of her life at a time when she is feeling the renewed glare of the campaign spotlight, after telling a Pennsylvania reporter to "shove it" during a delegation party Sunday.

"By now I hope it will come as no surprise that I have something to say," she said, to a sea of "We Love Teresa" signs. "My right to speak my mind, to have a voice, to be what some called 'opinionated,' is a right I deeply and profoundly cherish."

Heinz Kerry earned one of her biggest applause lines when she shared her hope that "women — who have all earned the right to their opinions — instead of being labeled opinionated, will be called smart or well-informed, just as men are."

Kerry's famously blunt wife stayed in safe waters Tuesday, focusing on her customary themes of early childhood education, affordable health care, and the environment, all of which she has helped support through her work as chairwoman of the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.

A first-generation American who grew up in Mozambique, Heinz Kerry spoke of her personal journey, which brought her to university in apartheid South African and — ultimately — into the heart of one of the United States' wealthiest families.

"I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how precious freedom is," said Heinz Kerry, who joined anti-apartheid marches. "It is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and those who have died defending it."

Heinz Kerry began her speech by greeting the crowd in the five languages she can speak fluently: Spanish, French and Italian, in addition to English and her native Portuguese, which still flavors her speech.

The 65-year-old heiress was introduced by Chris Heinz, 31, the youngest of her three sons with GOP Sen. John Heinz III, who died in a 1991 plane crash.

"Thank you, Christopher," his mother said. "Your father would be very proud of you and your brothers."

Heinz called his mother "a force, spirited, organic and loving" who has been "a spouse to two wonderful men"

Heinz Kerry has been called a "loose cannon" on the campaign trail, often speaking on issues that more typical political wives would avoid: Botox, prenuptial agreements, the vice presidential candidate's good looks.

Conventional wisdom varies on whether voters will find Heinz Kerry's candor refreshing or unseemly.

A recent poll found those voters evenly divided about her, if they had any opinion at all. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found her favorable rating at 27 percent and unfavorable at 26 percent. Nearly half of those polled had no opinion at all.

I can almost forgive Nina. She's kinda cute. And I'm pretty sure that given half a chance I could convert her to the light side.

Some guy from the WSJ said that...

I thought she hit a home run!

YEAH... FOR US!

CNN IS POSITIVELY GUSHING OVER THERESA!!!!!!!

International audience. CNN is a global network.

Well, it was at least a double, No, wait...that was her drink!

I'm not dissing her origins...just the fact that she IS a space cadet. She is SO far out there she must have met herself coming during her mystic journey of the memory on the outer edges of the universe.

Medic on aisle 3312!!! Delusional, feverish FReeper thinks the speech was good!!! Alert the ER!!!

subub, suboob, suburb...

A new brand of Scotch?

Earned? Badges?

"We don't need no steenkin' badges!"

Speaking of posting on FreeRepublic, here are the last of my notes for the radio gig tomorrow with Jerry Agar. Enjoy or skip as you choose.

John / Billybob

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

7:00 pm Gavel In by "Gavel In" Contest Winners Kristen Turner, age 13, Boston, Massachusetts Steven Ruperto, age 18, Moon, Pennsylvania

Kids for Kerry Representatives from Kids for Kerry, Boston chapter Nubia Smith Whitaker, age 12, will speak on their behalf

Benjamin McKenzie Actor, "The O.C."

City Youth Dance Ensemble

Tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Actors

The Honorable Bennie Thompson U.S. House of Representatives, Mississippi Introduces Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou Poet and Activist I question America, is this the land of the free and the home of the brave? ... Fanny Lou Hamer ... Frederick Douglass, Patrick Henry ... have always asked questions of ourselves ... what do I think of my country? What is there in my country that elevates by soul when I hear the words United States of America? ... What is there that makes me avert my eyes (when I hear those words)? ... We own the questions, and the answers .... make a democcracy strong and stout and robust ... [THEY are honoring the Freedom Democratic Party -- DON'T they remember that these were Democrats who had to be seated at the Chicago Convention OVER THE OPPOSITION of regular Democrats, including the previous Mayor Daley of Chicago?} {PROBABLY don't know eather that the Civil Rights Act that was passed under Lyndon Johnson, had a higher proportion of Republicans, then Democrats, voting for it?]

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Members

Freedom Singers: "This Little Light of Mine"

The Honorable Mike Honda U.S. House of Representatives, California talks about the round-up of his family at the beginning of WW II ... we could not be trusted, solely because of the color of our skin and the shape of our eyes ... no one in a position of leadership had the courage to stand up ... [I WROTE a book on this subject. The military commander on Hawaii DID stand up, refused to obey that order, and kept the Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, where they were critical to the rebuilding after Pearl Harbor and to support the war. FDR who ordered that, and Earl Warren (then Gov of California) who approved it, were DEMOCRATS.] ... service is about self-sacrifice ... [WHAT? Kerry sold himself to rich women in the nation's interest? Is that it?] ... we will again earn the respect not just of the world's governments, but of the world's people ... {HASN'T he been near the Mexican border? The PEOPLE of the world DO respect America and want to come here as soon as possible.]

The Reverend Dr. James Forbes Senior Minister, Riverside Church, New York, New York a set of values rooted in Scripture and found in America's founding documents ... faith can guide us again ... [DOES the ACLU know about this guy? Have they filed suit to shut this convention down?] ... be truthful in facts and motives ... appeal to our higher natures, not to our greed and fear ... provide moral leadership [ARE we sure that the Kerry people vetting this guy's statement?] ... we must unite to save our nation ... [IF THE Bush people have any sense, they will invite this guy to speak to the Republican Convention -- same speech.] ... we will be able to love America back to health and wholeness ... (but then he says, Kerry and Edwards have the kind of moral leadership to accomplish this tack.)

Now they're doing a lame version of "Shout" and the rhythm impaired white people are up in the aisles again --- my eyes, my eyes! ... close eyes, remember Otis Day and the Knights, John Belushi and the others in togas, and "shout, shout, shout. a little bit softer now...." There, I feel better. .... [HOW retro can these Democrats get? Have they failed to notice that the last fifty years have taken place?

Gavel to Order The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen Former Governor of New Hampshire

National Anthem via satellite from the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona Michael Enis and Alicia Chiles The anthem will be sung in the traditional Tohono O'odham language

Ev'rybody sing along now, y'hear ....

just did a n audio of Harry Truman about the hard work of freedom ... the words matched what we are now doing in Iraq, though they were written about the Marshall Plan in Europe ... same process, same hard work ... though not one Democrat in a thousand would notice the parallel

Robert Caro, Historian, introduces the lion of the Senate -- a great Senator of the present, Edward Kennedy, the voice of principle that echoes back to what the Framers intended the Senate to be ... a Senator of the United States. his allegiance was always to great causes ... [AIN'T this man heard of the Senate filibuster to damage the judicial and executive branches as conceived in the Constitution?]

The Honorable Edward Kennedy United States Senator, Massachusetts Honorary Chair, Democratic National Committee (bring on the red meat) .... Welcome to my home town ... the ideals born in Boston and strengthened by decades of service and sacrifice ... (we will) reclaim those fundamental ideals by making John Kerry President of the United States ... under the old system, connections mattered more than the quality of your character ... [IS HE listening to what he is saying? Did he read it before he began?] ... a leader worthy of our country, John Kerry ... two centuries after the farmers here fired the shirt (not a misprint) heard round the world ... it's not because our ideals need replacing, it's because our leaders need replacing ... (references the Boston Tea Party) ... we too are resolved to change our government ... [INWHAT ways is President Bush like King George III? He doesn't say.] ... John Adams, to John Kennedy, to John Kerry ... [HE'S kidding, right?] ... Cheny would be retired to an undisclosed location [CHEERS from the audience, favored line] ... there are those who seek to divide us ... [TAKES three shots to pronounce the word "suburbs"] .... quotes the Pledge of Allegiance and includes "under God" ... [THEACLU would be hot about this, unless they understood that Teddy didn't mean it, and was just selling the goods] ...

(everything can be achieved) if the world works together, and we lead ... "A decent respect to the opinions of mankind" in the first line of the Declaration of Independence ... we failed to do that in Iraq ... [DOES he not know that we declared our independence over the opposition of the world, beginning withEngland?]

no one in America who works for a living should live in poverty ... [ONCE you throw in the monetary value of food stamps, and WIC, no one does] .... may none but the honest and wise live under this roof -- John Adams words carved in a mantle at the White House ... [HAS he forgotten Bill Clinton already? He was on stage last night. ... But that WAS 24 hours ago....] ... the only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush ... [GORE, Kennedy, Clinton, and presumably Dean who's yet to come, are the least controlled and vetted of the speakers, show the most red meat, Bush hatred]

our struggle is not with George, who inherited the crown -- though sometimes it seems that way -- ... the cries of the false patriots who bully us into submission .... [IS THAT a Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg remark? Do be specific, Ted....] we will heel, hope, strive, and dream again ... [A SEA of Kennedy signs appear as if by magic.] ... Music playing is "Still the One...." ... [AT LEAST the band leader has a sense of humor....]

Satellite feed from Chicago, Illinois

Minister of the Trinity United Church of Christ says that the respect of the United States in the world has been destroyed by lies and deceit ... we want to get the cowboy out of the White House ... [IS THAT the way that ministers speak? Certainly not any of the ministers I've ever known....]

The Honorable Richard Gephardt U.S. House of Representatives, Missouri I know John Kerry's values ... more of the judgment, resolve, experience than anyone else in the United States ... [AND NO, lightning did not come through the ceiling and strike him dead.] ... makes the false job creation / Hoover claim ... in election year we hear a lot about character ... [THE FOUR GLORIOUS months of his Swift Boat command rears its ugly head again -- does anyone realize that the inflated talk about Kerry in Vietnam will last, all told, three times as long as his shortened tour of duty did....] ....

The Honorable Tom Daschle United States Senate, South Dakota Democratic Leader I listen to farmers, ranchers, teachers, policemen, moms and dads ... what binds them together is love of our country ... have enough money to rebuild Iraq when we have needs at home ... complains about gas prices ... nickel per gallon price in Iraq ... [IMPLIES that we subsidize that .. not true ... their bas is so cheap because they don't have union workers, and they don't have local, state, and federal taxes ... but Li'l Tommy cannot mention those factors,] ... we will get America back on the right track ...

Satellite feed from Des Moines, Iowa

short clip that sucks up to family farmers --- [DOES this farmer know that the Bush tax relief plan which helps his family and children will be dead as a doorknob if Kerry takes the White House and the Dems take over the House and the Senate?]

The Honorable Carol Mosley-Braun Former United States Senator, Illinois

Her grandfather, Thomas Davie, served in WW I, but did not have the right to vote. ... [WHAT state? facts please.] ... recites the various jobs she has held ... [THIS woman is a poster child for violation of the Peter Principle, that everyone gets promoted to his/her level of incompetence.] ... (Bush will) turn the lights out on the American dream ... to create an America that we will be proud to pass on to the next generation ... restoring the greatest values of the greatest country in the world ... [YES, and WHATARE those values, pray tell?]

NOTE TO JERRY AGAR: A number of my friends on the Internet have a drinking game that helps them get through watching this Convention. Every time anyone mentions Kerry's service in Vietnam, the listener takes a shot. Odds are, only the Irish listeners will still be able to sit up and see the screen, at the end of the night.

9:00 pm to 11:00 pm

9:00 pm The Honorable Howard Dean Former Governor of Vermont (shows a sense of humor by thanking states by name without shouting) ... take this country back for the people who built it ... all represent the Demo wing of the Demo Party ... health insurance for all, a jobs program that will create jobs, standing up for middle class Americans who got a tax increase rather than a tax cut 9THE ONLY way this claim can be supported, if at all, is by adding in state and local tax increases which, last time I checked, were in the control of state and local governments] ... America restored as a moral leader of the world ... our greatness is also measured by our goodness (quoting deTocqueville) .... I want you to give America to John Kerry ... [DID he really say that?] ... (black preacher style) you have the power, you have the power, you have the power ....

Satellite from the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona

Christie Vilsack First Lady of Iowa (another speech that begins, "I was born a poor black child.") ... these are the values that American soldiers fought for around the world ... second mention that Kerry will provide all Americans with the same quality health care as Members of Congress ... [THAT'S an opening for an enterprising reporter to find out just what kind of medical care Congressmen get at Walter Reed and elsewhere, and then price that for all Americans -- should be an eye-popping number] ... (first reference to Kerry's anti-Vietnam efforts, she says he) ... came home and sought to end that war ... {MAYBE she didn't get the memo that Kerry called all the soldiers in Vietnam, including himself, "war criminals."]

The Honorable Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona someone who answers the call, who says "send me" (picking up the theme of Bill Clinton's speech) ... [DOESN'T she know that he volunteered for Swift Boats when they were running safely on the coast. Then he got assigned. Then the boats were sent up the rivers. Then he got two scratches and a booboo, and booked out of there in 4 months, rather than the usual 12 months] ...

The Honorable Richard Durbin United States Senator, Illinois the few, the proud, the Democrats serving in the US Senate ...

Keynote Speaker Barack Obama Candidate for the United States Senate, Illinois in a generous America, you do not have to be rich to get a good education ... in no other country is my story even possible [DO THE delegates realize that this man is living proof that much of their twaddle about pouring money into education is WRONG?] ... (Barack quotes directly from the Declaration of Independence, the first person to put basic American values on the table) ... government alone cannot teach our chuldren ... eradicate the slander that a black child with a book is acting white ... community, faith and service have defined his (Kerry's) life ... send enough troops to win the war, and earn the respect of the world ... e pluribus unum, out of many, one ... [HOW DOES that fit with the style and contents not only of most speakers, but of their nitch marketing] ... (he repeats the canard of snoping into libraries ... none of this has been done, nor is it possible without a judicial warrant ... a common lie] ...

(followed by an extended love fest with Obama holding hands with Durban and other politicians on stage

Satellite feed from Chicago, Illinois

The Honorable Jim Langevin U.S. House of Representatives, Rhode Island (Rolls in a cripple with an apparent spinal injury to introduce Ron Reagan ... an accidental shooting when he was 16)

Ron Reagan speaking about embrionic stem cells -- he is behind the research curve -- adult stem cells serve the purpose better, and with none of the serious ethical concerns ... to distinguish between true compassion and mere ideology ... come November I urge you to vote for stem cell research

Kids for Kerry Founder Ilana Wexler Age 12 Oakland, California she's 13, now ... apparently this is an AMY moment ... [REMEMBER when Jimmy Carter said that he discussed nuclear disarmament policy with his daughter, Amy) ... this girl is a world-class twit ... at any moment she's going to break out into a rendition of "Tomorrow" from "Annie."

25 questions to make up for Florida in the last election (questions on the kids for Kerry website) ... {TELL me that Allen Funt is hiding somewhere around the stage....]

Performance by Children's Voices of Greater Boston

Chris Heinz quotes the New York Times that his mother is one of the nation's leading philanthropists ... the door is now open to trace the leftwing politics and money laundering of the Tides Foundation, to which she has given millions of dollars

Teresa Heinz Kerry and now it will come as no surprise that I haved something to say ... [WILD cheers from the audience ... first dose of reality TV in this whole convention] ... 9then she does the papal thing and speaks briefly in several different languages) ... makes a point of calling herself (with quote mark destures) opinionated ... [TERRIFIC reaction from the crowd ... the Republicans will be world class fools if they even mention the word Teresa in public ... let the press do what they choose, Repubs should drop the subject like a hot rock.] ... one concern all Americans share is America's role in the world ... poetic and accurate description of the outreach of the space program .... and sent Hubble to touch the very edges of the universe ...

John is a fighter, he earned his medals the old-fashioned way ... he will always be first in the line of fire ... but he will always get it right ... [PUT THAT up against Kerry's prewar statements that are identical to those of Bush and Blair, etc.

Finale

Benediction Imam Yahya Hendi Muslim Chaplin, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Aren't we all proud to be Americans? ... I, God, created you from one pair, male and female, and made you equal ... [I'VE READ more than a few verses from the Koran which knock that verse into a cocked hat ... advance goodness and restore peace ... [YEAH, right.]

Adjournment

Speaking of posting on FreeRepublic, here are the last of my notes for the radio gig tomorrow with Jerry Agar. Enjoy or skip as you choose.

John / Billybob

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

7:00 pm Gavel In by "Gavel In" Contest Winners Kristen Turner, age 13, Boston, Massachusetts Steven Ruperto, age 18, Moon, Pennsylvania

Kids for Kerry Representatives from Kids for Kerry, Boston chapter Nubia Smith Whitaker, age 12, will speak on their behalf

Benjamin McKenzie Actor, "The O.C."

City Youth Dance Ensemble

Tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Actors

The Honorable Bennie Thompson U.S. House of Representatives, Mississippi Introduces Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou Poet and Activist I question America, is this the land of the free and the home of the brave? ... Fanny Lou Hamer ... Frederick Douglass, Patrick Henry ... have always asked questions of ourselves ... what do I think of my country? What is there in my country that elevates by soul when I hear the words United States of America? ... What is there that makes me avert my eyes (when I hear those words)? ... We own the questions, and the answers .... make a democcracy strong and stout and robust ... [THEY are honoring the Freedom Democratic Party -- DON'T they remember that these were Democrats who had to be seated at the Chicago Convention OVER THE OPPOSITION of regular Democrats, including the previous Mayor Daley of Chicago?} {PROBABLY don't know eather that the Civil Rights Act that was passed under Lyndon Johnson, had a higher proportion of Republicans, then Democrats, voting for it?]

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Members

Freedom Singers: "This Little Light of Mine"

The Honorable Mike Honda U.S. House of Representatives, California talks about the round-up of his family at the beginning of WW II ... we could not be trusted, solely because of the color of our skin and the shape of our eyes ... no one in a position of leadership had the courage to stand up ... [I WROTE a book on this subject. The military commander on Hawaii DID stand up, refused to obey that order, and kept the Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, where they were critical to the rebuilding after Pearl Harbor and to support the war. FDR who ordered that, and Earl Warren (then Gov of California) who approved it, were DEMOCRATS.] ... service is about self-sacrifice ... [WHAT? Kerry sold himself to rich women in the nation's interest? Is that it?] ... we will again earn the respect not just of the world's governments, but of the world's people ... {HASN'T he been near the Mexican border? The PEOPLE of the world DO respect America and want to come here as soon as possible.]

The Reverend Dr. James Forbes Senior Minister, Riverside Church, New York, New York a set of values rooted in Scripture and found in America's founding documents ... faith can guide us again ... [DOES the ACLU know about this guy? Have they filed suit to shut this convention down?] ... be truthful in facts and motives ... appeal to our higher natures, not to our greed and fear ... provide moral leadership [ARE we sure that the Kerry people vetting this guy's statement?] ... we must unite to save our nation ... [IF THE Bush people have any sense, they will invite this guy to speak to the Republican Convention -- same speech.] ... we will be able to love America back to health and wholeness ... (but then he says, Kerry and Edwards have the kind of moral leadership to accomplish this tack.)

Now they're doing a lame version of "Shout" and the rhythm impaired white people are up in the aisles again --- my eyes, my eyes! ... close eyes, remember Otis Day and the Knights, John Belushi and the others in togas, and "shout, shout, shout. a little bit softer now...." There, I feel better. .... [HOW retro can these Democrats get? Have they failed to notice that the last fifty years have taken place?

Gavel to Order The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen Former Governor of New Hampshire

National Anthem via satellite from the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona Michael Enis and Alicia Chiles The anthem will be sung in the traditional Tohono O'odham language

Ev'rybody sing along now, y'hear ....

just did a n audio of Harry Truman about the hard work of freedom ... the words matched what we are now doing in Iraq, though they were written about the Marshall Plan in Europe ... same process, same hard work ... though not one Democrat in a thousand would notice the parallel

Robert Caro, Historian, introduces the lion of the Senate -- a great Senator of the present, Edward Kennedy, the voice of principle that echoes back to what the Framers intended the Senate to be ... a Senator of the United States. his allegiance was always to great causes ... [AIN'T this man heard of the Senate filibuster to damage the judicial and executive branches as conceived in the Constitution?]

The Honorable Edward Kennedy United States Senator, Massachusetts Honorary Chair, Democratic National Committee (bring on the red meat) .... Welcome to my home town ... the ideals born in Boston and strengthened by decades of service and sacrifice ... (we will) reclaim those fundamental ideals by making John Kerry President of the United States ... under the old system, connections mattered more than the quality of your character ... [IS HE listening to what he is saying? Did he read it before he began?] ... a leader worthy of our country, John Kerry ... two centuries after the farmers here fired the shirt (not a misprint) heard round the world ... it's not because our ideals need replacing, it's because our leaders need replacing ... (references the Boston Tea Party) ... we too are resolved to change our government ... [INWHAT ways is President Bush like King George III? He doesn't say.] ... John Adams, to John Kennedy, to John Kerry ... [HE'S kidding, right?] ... Cheny would be retired to an undisclosed location [CHEERS from the audience, favored line] ... there are those who seek to divide us ... [TAKES three shots to pronounce the word "suburbs"] .... quotes the Pledge of Allegiance and includes "under God" ... [THEACLU would be hot about this, unless they understood that Teddy didn't mean it, and was just selling the goods] ...

(everything can be achieved) if the world works together, and we lead ... "A decent respect to the opinions of mankind" in the first line of the Declaration of Independence ... we failed to do that in Iraq ... [DOES he not know that we declared our independence over the opposition of the world, beginning withEngland?]

no one in America who works for a living should live in poverty ... [ONCE you throw in the monetary value of food stamps, and WIC, no one does] .... may none but the honest and wise live under this roof -- John Adams words carved in a mantle at the White House ... [HAS he forgotten Bill Clinton already? He was on stage last night. ... But that WAS 24 hours ago....] ... the only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush ... [GORE, Kennedy, Clinton, and presumably Dean who's yet to come, are the least controlled and vetted of the speakers, show the most red meat, Bush hatred]

our struggle is not with George, who inherited the crown -- though sometimes it seems that way -- ... the cries of the false patriots who bully us into submission .... [IS THAT a Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg remark? Do be specific, Ted....] we will heel, hope, strive, and dream again ... [A SEA of Kennedy signs appear as if by magic.] ... Music playing is "Still the One...." ... [AT LEAST the band leader has a sense of humor....]

Satellite feed from Chicago, Illinois

Minister of the Trinity United Church of Christ says that the respect of the United States in the world has been destroyed by lies and deceit ... we want to get the cowboy out of the White House ... [IS THAT the way that ministers speak? Certainly not any of the ministers I've ever known....]

The Honorable Richard Gephardt U.S. House of Representatives, Missouri I know John Kerry's values ... more of the judgment, resolve, experience than anyone else in the United States ... [AND NO, lightning did not come through the ceiling and strike him dead.] ... makes the false job creation / Hoover claim ... in election year we hear a lot about character ... [THE FOUR GLORIOUS months of his Swift Boat command rears its ugly head again -- does anyone realize that the inflated talk about Kerry in Vietnam will last, all told, three times as long as his shortened tour of duty did....] ....

The Honorable Tom Daschle United States Senate, South Dakota Democratic Leader I listen to farmers, ranchers, teachers, policemen, moms and dads ... what binds them together is love of our country ... have enough money to rebuild Iraq when we have needs at home ... complains about gas prices ... nickel per gallon price in Iraq ... [IMPLIES that we subsidize that .. not true ... their bas is so cheap because they don't have union workers, and they don't have local, state, and federal taxes ... but Li'l Tommy cannot mention those factors,] ... we will get America back on the right track ...

Satellite feed from Des Moines, Iowa

short clip that sucks up to family farmers --- [DOES this farmer know that the Bush tax relief plan which helps his family and children will be dead as a doorknob if Kerry takes the White House and the Dems take over the House and the Senate?]

The Honorable Carol Mosley-Braun Former United States Senator, Illinois

Her grandfather, Thomas Davie, served in WW I, but did not have the right to vote. ... [WHAT state? facts please.] ... recites the various jobs she has held ... [THIS woman is a poster child for violation of the Peter Principle, that everyone gets promoted to his/her level of incompetence.] ... (Bush will) turn the lights out on the American dream ... to create an America that we will be proud to pass on to the next generation ... restoring the greatest values of the greatest country in the world ... [YES, and WHATARE those values, pray tell?]

NOTE TO JERRY AGAR: A number of my friends on the Internet have a drinking game that helps them get through watching this Convention. Every time anyone mentions Kerry's service in Vietnam, the listener takes a shot. Odds are, only the Irish listeners will still be able to sit up and see the screen, at the end of the night.

9:00 pm to 11:00 pm

9:00 pm The Honorable Howard Dean Former Governor of Vermont (shows a sense of humor by thanking states by name without shouting) ... take this country back for the people who built it ... all represent the Demo wing of the Demo Party ... health insurance for all, a jobs program that will create jobs, standing up for middle class Americans who got a tax increase rather than a tax cut 9THE ONLY way this claim can be supported, if at all, is by adding in state and local tax increases which, last time I checked, were in the control of state and local governments] ... America restored as a moral leader of the world ... our greatness is also measured by our goodness (quoting deTocqueville) .... I want you to give America to John Kerry ... [DID he really say that?] ... (black preacher style) you have the power, you have the power, you have the power ....

Satellite from the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona

Christie Vilsack First Lady of Iowa (another speech that begins, "I was born a poor black child.") ... these are the values that American soldiers fought for around the world ... second mention that Kerry will provide all Americans with the same quality health care as Members of Congress ... [THAT'S an opening for an enterprising reporter to find out just what kind of medical care Congressmen get at Walter Reed and elsewhere, and then price that for all Americans -- should be an eye-popping number] ... (first reference to Kerry's anti-Vietnam efforts, she says he) ... came home and sought to end that war ... {MAYBE she didn't get the memo that Kerry called all the soldiers in Vietnam, including himself, "war criminals."]

The Honorable Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona someone who answers the call, who says "send me" (picking up the theme of Bill Clinton's speech) ... [DOESN'T she know that he volunteered for Swift Boats when they were running safely on the coast. Then he got assigned. Then the boats were sent up the rivers. Then he got two scratches and a booboo, and booked out of there in 4 months, rather than the usual 12 months] ...

The Honorable Richard Durbin United States Senator, Illinois the few, the proud, the Democrats serving in the US Senate ...

Keynote Speaker Barack Obama Candidate for the United States Senate, Illinois in a generous America, you do not have to be rich to get a good education ... in no other country is my story even possible [DO THE delegates realize that this man is living proof that much of their twaddle about pouring money into education is WRONG?] ... (Barack quotes directly from the Declaration of Independence, the first person to put basic American values on the table) ... government alone cannot teach our chuldren ... eradicate the slander that a black child with a book is acting white ... community, faith and service have defined his (Kerry's) life ... send enough troops to win the war, and earn the respect of the world ... e pluribus unum, out of many, one ... [HOW DOES that fit with the style and contents not only of most speakers, but of their nitch marketing] ... (he repeats the canard of snoping into libraries ... none of this has been done, nor is it possible without a judicial warrant ... a common lie] ...

(followed by an extended love fest with Obama holding hands with Durban and other politicians on stage

Satellite feed from Chicago, Illinois

The Honorable Jim Langevin U.S. House of Representatives, Rhode Island (Rolls in a cripple with an apparent spinal injury to introduce Ron Reagan ... an accidental shooting when he was 16)

Ron Reagan speaking about embrionic stem cells -- he is behind the research curve -- adult stem cells serve the purpose better, and with none of the serious ethical concerns ... to distinguish between true compassion and mere ideology ... come November I urge you to vote for stem cell research

Kids for Kerry Founder Ilana Wexler Age 12 Oakland, California she's 13, now ... apparently this is an AMY moment ... [REMEMBER when Jimmy Carter said that he discussed nuclear disarmament policy with his daughter, Amy) ... this girl is a world-class twit ... at any moment she's going to break out into a rendition of "Tomorrow" from "Annie."

25 questions to make up for Florida in the last election (questions on the kids for Kerry website) ... {TELL me that Allen Funt is hiding somewhere around the stage....]

Performance by Children's Voices of Greater Boston

Chris Heinz quotes the New York Times that his mother is one of the nation's leading philanthropists ... the door is now open to trace the leftwing politics and money laundering of the Tides Foundation, to which she has given millions of dollars

Teresa Heinz Kerry and now it will come as no surprise that I haved something to say ... [WILD cheers from the audience ... first dose of reality TV in this whole convention] ... 9then she does the papal thing and speaks briefly in several different languages) ... makes a point of calling herself (with quote mark destures) opinionated ... [TERRIFIC reaction from the crowd ... the Republicans will be world class fools if they even mention the word Teresa in public ... let the press do what they choose, Repubs should drop the subject like a hot rock.] ... one concern all Americans share is America's role in the world ... poetic and accurate description of the outreach of the space program .... and sent Hubble to touch the very edges of the universe ...

John is a fighter, he earned his medals the old-fashioned way ... he will always be first in the line of fire ... but he will always get it right ... [PUT THAT up against Kerry's prewar statements that are identical to those of Bush and Blair, etc.

Finale

Benediction Imam Yahya Hendi Muslim Chaplin, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Aren't we all proud to be Americans? ... I, God, created you from one pair, male and female, and made you equal ... [I'VE READ more than a few verses from the Koran which knock that verse into a cocked hat ... advance goodness and restore peace ... [YEAH, right.]

Adjournment