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The best thing about the Republican National Convention is that the camera picks out the minorities pretty early and then keeps showing the same ones over and over again.  Because there are about 3.  And one of them is McCain’s adopted daughter. Oh, and they also keep showing the same young people.  Like anyone under 50.

So President Bush just mentioned Sarah Palin, the camera panned to the Alaska delegation and I don’t think a single person there was cheering.

Laura Bush is talking up Cindy McCain’s foreign experience.  Honestly, she sounds more qualified than Sarah Palin.  At least she’s left the country more than once.

Oookay.  This is weird.  I watched President Bush’s speech on PBS in real-time where you heard both his speech and the crowd reaction.  So all that was fine.  But now NBC is replaying the video.  Without the crowd reaction.  So you just have wonder why Bush keeps making these odd pauses and grimaces.  He frankly looks a little insane.

Oh, now Brian Williams is trying to explain.  Doesn’t help.  Because a thousand YouTube videos are being born right now.

Tom Brokaw just called McCain’s campaign “improvisational.”  Do we want a President that runs his country like his campaign?  A campaign tells an awful lot about what kind of executive you are going to be.  Call me crazy and all

Fred Thompson is one to talk about Beltway business as usual.  His first role tonight is apparently to talk about Palin.  Sadly, he just has one sentence that he keeps saying in different ways.  Oh, and the “she knows how to dress a moose” got big laughs.

Oooh .. the McCain sons are cuties.  We shall have to have a battle of the cute sons.  Wonkette, can you get on that?

And the really old mothers. Can Mom Biden take down Mom McCain?  I don’t know.  Mom McCain looks fierce but I bet Mom Biden throws a fierce right hook.

Oh my god.  Fred Thompson just told stories about John McCain hanging with hookers in Florida.  And somehow this allowed him to survive Vietnam.  I kid not.  It was a direct segue. I shall excerpt for you.

However, in flight school in Pensacola, he did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an “exotic dancer” under the name of Marie, the Flame of Florida.  And the reason I’m telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:

Yes. John McCain was tortured.  And yet somehow, those same techniques when employed by Americans during the current war, are not torture.  See, that’s we liberals call ironic.

What’s great about Fred Thompson talking about smooth talkers and defying lobbyists and Washington mavericks is that he, as a Senator, was known for his smooth talking and close contacts with lobbyists and his total suck up to corporate interests.  And know he is a very well paid lobbyist.

“A man who never quits is never defeated.”  Not true.  Lyndon LaRouche never quits and he’s always defeated.  Ron Paul didn’t quit yet but he’s pretty defeated.  And what about that really bad skier that they show every Winter Olympics?

Is it my imagination or are people not really into the the Thompson speech?  And he’s starting to sound a little drunk.

I’m telling you, that’s like the third time they’ve shown that same African-American man.

And now this speech is finally done, a mere five and a half years after it started.  What?  Too soon?

Jim Lehrer looks like he’s barely awake for this thing.  Hang in there.  I know it’s past your bedtime but you can do it.  After all, you’re not nearly as old as John McCain.

Joe Lieberman HWIFDTM is now up.  Perhaps the best thing about Gore losing 8 years ago is that this man is not our Vice President.

And he’s getting no love from the audience. I don’t think anyone is even paying attention to him.  Except for the crazy guy who keeps yelling “yes, yes” … and he just cut off a USA chant.  HWIFDTM hates America.

HWIFDTM just called himself a Democrat.  You, sir, are no Democrat.  And you have no Democratic friends.  None.

Ha, ha.  HWIFDTM just talked about corrupt Republican lobbyists.  Like, oh, say, Fred Thompson?

And he’s listing off the things that Cinton did as president.  Which just remind me of what I don’t like about Cinton’s presidency. Which then just makes me even happier to vote Democratic this year.  Although I would have been fine with Hillary too.  No hate.

They keep showing the McCain kids because they are among that small, small group of attenders under 50.  But their blond daughter looks totally out of it.  And the one cute son looks absolutely bored beyond tears. And the non-blond daughter can barely clap her hands (she’s probably secretly voting for Obama).

Thousands of troops are coming home and yes, they are coming home in honor.  They are also coming home with flags draped over their coffins and limbs left behind in the streets of Baghdad.

Ugh.  As speeches go, I’m not sure that was a great one.  I’m not sure I’ve heard any even good speeches tonight. But to sum up, here were the drinking applause lines from all the speakers:

• Sarah Palin
• ticket for change
• abortion
• maverick
• reform
• beatings/torture/POW/Hilton Hanoi or any combination thereof

Related posts:

1. Follow the money or the honey: John McCain
2. The computer is younger than John McCain
3. Drive by blogging: Just how old is John McCain?