State of the Election - August 29, 2008

What an exciting week! Well, it did not get too exciting until maybe last night. I'll give Obama his rock star status at his speech last night. I did not view it as I had better things to do at the time, but I heard enough. There is no doubt that that it was a large, energized crowd. There is no doubt that it was a historic moment and that those who viewed it and favor Obama had quite a show. I did hear he gave more details about the "hope" and "change" he plans to bring. I won't critique it since I did not hear it, nor read a transcript. I will say that emotion and passion are fleeting moments. They have an expiration on them and must soon be tapped into with something solid or they are meaningless. The question is - can Obama convert last night into something meaningful?

There is at least one thing about his speech that I find humorous. Just like in his 2004 Convention Keynote Speech, and in his appearance at Rick Warren's Saddleback church in 2006 on World AIDS Day, and at his May 2008 Speech on Race, Obama in his 2008 Convention Speech spoke about being his "brother's keeper". I just am wondering if his $1 a month brother George Obama liked that part of the speech.

In the last few weeks the John McCain campaign has been nothing short of brilliant. The clear drive to increase domestic drilling to relieve gas prices, the challenging picture of Obama's association with William Ayers that drew a panicked response, the classy ad congratulating Obama on his special day, and finally the amazing handling of the VP selection were all brilliant. Thinking back over the last few weeks of announcements regarding the VP selection, the McCain campaign built a superb tension. They used every method to draw out the media into the process - I'm sure Leiberman and Ridge were never on the table, but it sure got the media involved. It sure made many Conservatives nervous. Then there was talk of Romney and Pawlenty that got the Conservatives talking about it. All during this time, Palin was not really hinted at.

The selection and timing were a flawless tag team that succeeded in wiping Obama's speech off the table. When I was reviewing the news, I was amazed at how little there was about last night. The McCain VP pick was splashed all over the place. The Sarah Palin selection in spite of Liberal's weak effort to undermine was a fantastic pick. First, the vacuum created by Hillary Clinton's loss makes a female choice very appropriate. I am not under the delusion that Hillary supporters will flock to Palin, but many less partisan women who wanted to see a woman in the race, will be pleased with the choice. Palin's life story and rise to be Alaska's Governor is very interesting. She has strong core beliefs that will satisfy and energize the base. She will strengthen the theme of Drill Here, Drill Now. All in all, a very good pick.

As an added bonus, the selection of Palin served as a Rope a Dope for the Libs. They immediately jumped on her lack of experience with both feet. It was only after it was too late to take it back, that they realized that she has more Executive experience and more accomplishments than Obama. The ability to underscore that point about Obama will both wipe the smirk off their faces and hit him where it hurts. I for one cannot wait to see the debate between Palin and Biden.