New politics, new times

Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democrat nomination for the presidency last night in Denver giving his "new politics for a new times" speech. In traditional Obama style the speech was an oratory masterpiece that certainly elevated the throngs of Democrats in Denver as well as around the country. The venue and the speech were quite a spectacle. The speech itself was short on substance which is why it was so powerful. Obama portrayed himself as a generic liberal, a common man with uncommon purpose, who made a lot of promises last night; but the speech was short on specificity. If you listened closely to the content, it sounded like many of the liberal speeches of the past using different language, and delivery. Obama also hammered John McCain on a number of issues as Obama will try tie McCain to Bush during the campaign. This is where, according to strategist Dick Morris at wwww.dickmorris.com, McCain may have an opening:

"The issues on which McCain and Bush differ are legion:

* McCain fought for campaign finance reform -- McCain-Feingold -- that Bush resisted and ultimately signed because he had no choice.

* McCain led the battle to restrict interrogation techniques of terror suspects and to ban torture.

* McCain went with Joe Lieberman on a tough measure to curb climate change, something Bush denies is going on.

* McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts when they passed.

* McCain urged the Iraq surge, a posture Bush rejected for years before conceding its wisdom.

* McCain favors FDA regulation of tobacco and sponsored legislation to that effect, a position all but a handful of Republican senators oppose.

* McCain's energy bill, also with Lieberman, is a virtual blueprint for energy independence and development of alternate sources.

* After the Enron scandal, McCain introduced sweeping reforms in corporate governance and legislation to guarantee pensions and prohibit golden parachutes for executives. Bush opposed McCain's changes and the watered-down Sarbanes-Oxley bill eventuated.

* McCain has been harshly critical of congressional overspending, particularly of budgetary earmarks, a position Bush only lately adopted (after the Democrats took over Congress)."

Certainly, Obama gave a well delivered speech and he clearly won the night. He should get a fairly big bounce out of his convention. However, if McCain plays his cards correctly, srarting with the afternoon's announcement of his VP, he can minimize Obama's bounce as he moves forward to his own convention in Minnesota.

One final note--depending on the trajectory of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Gustav, the Republicans may need to make scheduling changes with respect to the convention. Stay tuned!

There are 68 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,743 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!