A Party Wallowing in Retrospection

I watched the President's remarks last night and as usual, they were weak....and really don't merit further comment.

I thought the Republicans went completely overboard in trying to prove they are the most patriotic of parties. In the end I was beginning to feel bad that we Democrats used THEIR flag at our convention. I had forgotten that they own it, that they are the patriots, that Democrats are not patriots, etc.

And I particularly liked the videos on Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. I expected to see one about how George Washington wished he had been born a Republican. Seriously, what I saw last night convinced me the Rs have had their run and are preparing themselves to accept the defeat they expect in November. It was all so retrospective. They seem incapable of looking forward. They have no ideas for the future. Everything they have tried in recent years has failed. The crowd seemed uninspired and uninterested in the contrived program.

Deep down they seemed to know the Palin pick was a disaster. If this had been on the Democratic side, Rush Limbaugh and the other conservative talkers would have been wailing about the inexperience, about this person being just a heart beat away from the Presidency and that her foreign policy experience consists of running a state that is across the Bering Straits from Russia!

The speech she delivers tonight is unimportant in that it won't change perceptions. It will only prove she can read. She will read hers better than John McCain will read his on Thursday night. The real test comes when she is asked about the issues and has no script in front of her. Then, we'll see what we have.

Of course, maybe this race will not be about where the candidates stand on the issues. Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain told the Washington Post: "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." Really? Tell that to the American people, "my friend." There are issues they care about deeply and no amount of superficial coloration by a lady in skirts with a cute smile is going to change that.

One thing she has done: she has energized the Republican base and they are finally getting excited about the ticket. But here's the bottom line: when a vice presidential pick becomes the thing that excites the base, aren't you admitting you have a real problem at the top of the ticket??