Friday morning

Well, it's over.

I figure I've listened to nearly 100 speeches over nearly 20 hours. On TV this morning, there were videos of workers removing the miles of barriers, and cars driving down avenues that had been blocked off and heavily guarded as late as last night.  The big NY delegation tent is already down.  We're in casual clothes this morning (except for a Sikh delegate from NYC who is, as usual, impeccable in a well-tailored suit).  The conversation is about flight times; we're already pointed at the rest of our lives.

I have to say that I was disappointed in the President's speech last night.  It seemed to be boilerplate; he seemed to be phoning it in.  He's comfortable with wonky analysis, and that's what we got.   We'd heard each point a dozen times, sometimes with a more compelling presentation.  There wasn't really anything new or exciting for us to take home with us.  But (speaking of wonky analysis) he may have been speaking to the TV audience, most of whom have tuned in to their only (or one of their three or four) speeches of the convention, and haven't heard it all before.  

Luckily, Vice President Joe Biden did give an exceptional speech.  He was able to speak eloquently and personally about the President, drawing us in with quiet, authentic emotion.  It was compelling and affecting, and most important, I felt I had an intimate understanding of how the President has faced the last four difficult years.

Also memorable were former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Representative John Lewis, one of the original Freedom Riders, whose profound moral authority was a highlight of the night for me.  John Kerry got some revenge for the shameful way his service was treated in 2004.  And Gabby Giffords led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  She could have read the phone book and brought the house down.

Speaking of moral authority, I think that's what this convention was about.  Do what's right, play fair, work hard, support each other, share the American dream.  That was the message.  Also, the notion that the other side has little to offer in this realm.  You can buy that or not, but that's what happened this week.

I've got to get home.  Two days of driving through some gorgeous county.  In the next couple of days I'll be posting about convention odds and ends that I wasn't able to find time for during the hectic and uncertain schedule this week.  So check back, and talk back in Comments.

See you on the road.