Will Joe Biden's toughness as a debater be nullified by McCain's choice of Palin?  To give a Bidenesque answer that is remarkable in its brevity:

No.

Well, maybe I should explain.  In the primaries, when Hillary Clinton was the only woman standing on the stage and was surrounded by male candidates, aggressive attacks on her looked mean, even sexist.  But in the primaries you are the only candidate.  You don't have a running mate.  You aren't the Vice-Presidential candidate.  So any criticism is aimed at you and you alone.

In the general election, Biden can spend the entire debate going after McCain, not Palin.  His attacks won't be against her.  And her defense of her candidate is where she could stumble and show her inexperience.  She probably won't get watery-eyed with a nervous attempt at a smile like Romney would have.  But it's hard to defend a candidate when you don't know where he stands.

  

Will Joe Biden's toughness as a debater be nullified by McCain's choice of Palin?  To give a Bidenesque answer that is remarkable in its brevity:

No.

Well, maybe I should explain.  In the primaries, when Hillary Clinton was the only woman standing on the stage and was surrounded by male candidates, aggressive attacks on her looked mean, even sexist.  But in the primaries you are the only candidate.  You don't have a running mate.  You aren't the Vice-Presidential candidate.  So any criticism is aimed at you and you alone.

In the general election, Biden can spend the entire debate going after McCain, not Palin.  His attacks won't be against her.  And her defense of her candidate is where she could stumble and show her inexperience.  She probably won't get watery-eyed with a nervous attempt at a smile like Romney would have.  But it's hard to defend a candidate when you don't know where he stands.

  

Barack Obama is a clutch hitter.  On days one, two and three the Democrats loaded the bases for him with hit speeches by Michelle, Hillary and Joe.  But would Obama leave those opportunities to score with the American voters stranded in memories of the previous evenings?  No-- he hit it out of the park.

And the park was a football stadium.  Again, not afraid of failure but willing to take chances, Obama was right in choosing Mile High Stadium as the site of his acceptance speech.  It was breathtaking.  All those people, so diverse yet so unified in the moment.  It looked like America. 

As for the columns-- Republicans might as well be wondering why the Yankees are going to play in an empty stadium next year where the whole field is dirt and a bulldozer covers home plate.  *The backdrop wasn't finished being built*.

And the speech-- the speech leaves me speechless.

And we now know Obama was right in choosing Joe Biden.  They look great together, like winners, especially with both families standing on the stage.  The Ruth-Gehrig one-two punch of presidential politics, though Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron mostly come to mind.

Obama is at his best in pressure situations: his VP pick, the venue for his acceptance speech, the speech itself, and the entire tone of the convention.  Like most great players in team sports, Obama made everyone around him better-- and couldn't have done it without them.  Gore, Richardson, Casey, Kerry, and so many others also gave the best performances of their careers.

End of baseball metaphors-- beginning of serious hard work in changing America and putting Barack Obama in the White House.

If you're the nominee of the Democratic or Republican party, you're a celebrity.  Ronald Reagan once appeared in a movie with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart (the title was "Dark Victory" which might be somewhat ironic).  John Kennedy's inaugural ball was hosted by Frank Sinatra.  And cynical, sneering Republicans should recall that only a couple years ago glossy photos of George W. Bush glancing out the window of Air Force One were a hot item among his "fans."  Remember Peggy Noonan gushing over him?  Standing in front of a few Greek columns on a football field in Denver can't compare with the audacity of dressing up in a flight suit and standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier in front of a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished."  So if McCain the maverick wants to break with the tradition of being treated, as his party's nominee, like an A-list celebrity, maybe he should cancel the plans for the expensive stage, bright lights, and fancy backdrop and just give a simple acceptance speech from the front porch of his home in Minneapolis.  He does own a house there too, doesn't he?  

Back in 2006 Mark Warner was my top choice to be the Democratic nominee.  Being from Virginia, he would solve that perceived "middle America" problem that Kerry and Gore had.  Being an excellent public speaker-- another Kerry/Gore problem solved.  And being a centrist who doesn't come across as wishy-washy, someone known for bipartisanship and unity-- I thought the country would love him.  Well, the Virginia part of the country might, but the rest probably will never know what a Mark Warner presidential campaign could have been.  It was Barack Obama's time instead.  And even last night, after a speech that left me wondering what it would have been like if Mark Warner was about to be nominated in Denver, Hillary Clinton came out and delivered one of the most electrifying speeches I've ever seen. I can hardly remember anything that Warner said.  His keynote address should have been his Obama 2004 moment.  Instead, during his speech the networks were too busy "analyzing" what Hillary had to say next, and after her speech voters were too busy thinking about what she had just said.  I only hope the almost famous Mark Warner is most definitely soon known as "Senator Warner."