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Wednesday, August 27, 2008One Down, One to GoMy sigh of relief. Links to notes on the Democratic National Convention. Two names you're not hearing for Senator McCain's running mate. What the Delegates Did I was outside building a literal fence this evening while the Democrats in Denver mended figurative fences. When darkness fell, I lay down my tools and hurried to the Internet to see how things had gone at the Democratic National Convention. I heaved a sigh of relief at the news that Barack Obama is now the party's official nominee for president of the mean, bitter country of which Mrs. Obama has only lately become proud. It's not that I think Senator Obama will make a great president; I think he'll make a spectacularly bad one. My relief at the news of his official nomination is rooted in the fact that now Senator Hillary Clinton officially is not the party's nominee. The opponent is now just a Democrat, not a Clinton -- a leftist, to be sure, but not a leftist with her own three-ring circus. Senator Clinton managed to make the day very much about her, but she did release her delegates this afternoon. And when the roll call vote was in progress, she moved to suspend the rules and declare Senator Obama the party's candidate by acclamation, which the delegates did. Whew. For more details of the voting, see the FoxNews article. For insightful and not-bitterly-partisan notes about the convention so far, including tonight's speeches by former president Bill Clinton and veep wannabe Senator Joe Biden, read Peggy Noonan. Across the Aisle Rumor has it Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican (?) nominee, will announce his running mate on Friday. Here are two interesting names that don't seem to be on the short list. Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is a genuine, intelligent, articulate conservative who would help draw in the conservatives who have learned well over the years to regard Senator McCain with suspicious and dislike. Santorum would be more palatable to the party's religious bigot demographic (Huckabee voters) than Mitt Romney, himself an interesting possibility who is on the short list. Santorum has better conservative credentials than Romney. On the other hand, he does not have Romney's executive experience, and we already have too many Senators on the presidential ballot. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice may not want the job, but she has about as much real foreign policy experience as all 100 Senators think they have -- combined -- and is smart enough to tie Senator Biden in knots in a vice presidential debate. She's also a Russia expert, which is looking like a good thing to have around these days, and she's a very talented pianist, which is always a good thing to have around. What was that? No, I don't advise the McCain campaign. You're kidding, right? Copyright 2008 by David Rodeback. |
