Salon: War Room

Dobson says he'll vote for McCain-Palin

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:00:00 PDT

Via my former colleague, Time's Michael Scherer, I see that Focus on the Family head James Dobson announced on Friday that he will vote for John McCain.

That the influential evangelical leader would eventually come around, despite his longtime skepticism about McCain, is no surprise. But the timing of the announcement, coming as quickly as it did after the news that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be McCain's running mate, seems to indicate just how successful McCain was at appealing to the social conservative wing of his party by making this choice, and just how politically astute a move this may turn out to be for the presumptive Republican nominee.

Gov. Palin and Iraq

Mark Benjamin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:26:00 PDT

Presumably, John McCain would only select a candidate for vice president who shared his supposedly clear-eyed vision about Iraq, who had also called for -- or at least thought it was a good idea -- to push more troops into Iraq in 2007.

Well, maybe Sarah Palin thought the surge was great, or maybe she didn't. It's hard to tell what, if anything, Palin thinks or thought about the surge of troops in Iraq, or the decision to invade Iraq in the first place, for that matter. A clip search doesn't show any substantive comments from Palin about Iraq during her short term as governor of Alaska, in 2007 or 2008, or at any point prior to that. That includes instances when she was specifically asked about the war.

In an interview with Alaska Business Monthly shortly after she took office in 2007, Palin was asked about the upcoming surge. She said she hadn't thought about it. "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq," she said. "I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe."

Seven months into the surge, she still either had not formed any opinion on the surge or the war or just wasn't sharing. "I'm not here to judge the idea of withdrawing, or the timeline," she said in a teleconference interview with reporters during a July 2007 visit with Alaska National Guard troops stationed in Kuwait. "I'm not going to judge even the surge. I'm here to find out what Alaskans need of me as their governor."

That's a little weird, since Fort Richardson, near Anchorage, has dispatched countless soldiers to Iraq, including many who did not make it back. And Palin's own son, Track, is an infantry soldier who could go there any time.

McCain, Palin go PUMA hunting

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:00:00 PDT

The debut of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate didn't have the kind of fire Joe Biden was able to bring to his first event with Barack Obama. Considering how new Palin is to the national scene, that wasn't too surprising. For the moment, too, McCain and Palin don't seem to know each other well, and they don't yet look comfortable standing next to each other. But what the event did make clear is why, despite some negatives on her part, McCain chose Palin.

First off, there's her Everywoman look. Her family -- and her frequent joke about being a "hockey mom" -- only helps that. And there's her economic background as well. John McCain may have seven houses (or eight, or 10, who knows?) but Palin is, as McCain himself noted, a former union member; she's married to one as well. Palin "understands the problems, the hopes and the values of working people, knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and healthcare and the cost of gasoline and groceries," McCain said in introducing her.

And then, of course, there's her gender. McCain was working all week to exploit the divisions remaining in the Democratic Party, and to try to capture some of Hillary Clinton's supporters. The selection of Palin is obviously another step in that direction, as Salon's Rebecca Traister notes in her post about in Broadsheet. In her speech today, Palin wasn't subtle about trying to appeal to those who had backed Clinton.

"It's fitting that this trust has been given to me 88 years almost to the day after the women of America first gained the right to vote," Palin said, continuing:

I think as well today of two other women who came before me in national elections. I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and of course Sen. Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign. It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America, but it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.

Another state not delivered

Thomas Schaller — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:55:00 PDT

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are from solidly blue states. John McCain and Sarah Palin are from fairly solid red states (though some, myself included, would argue that medium- to long-term Democratic prospects in Arizona and Alaska are good).

Every four years when the veepstakes begin, there is much talk about how this or that candidate in consideration offers the potential benefit of putting his or her home state into play. Certainly Al Gore helped Bill Clinton nail down Tennessee in both 1992 and 1996, though, tragically, the future Oscar winner couldn't win his home state in 2000. Still, you really have to look back to 1960 for a truly powerful example of a candidate who helped pull a state into the win column for a ticket that otherwise would not have, and who helped tip the election.

I think it's fair to say that presidential candidates and their advisors know this. The tip-a-state factor just doesn't matter anymore. Partly, this is a function of how blue the blue states are and how red the red states are. (In 2000, a tight popular-vote contest, there were 28 states decided by 10 points or more; in that 1960 election, an equally tight popular-vote contest, there were just 14.) But I think the larger reason for reducing home-state flipping to a second-tier criterion is that the veep selection provides other political assets for the presidential candidate or is used to blunt criticism of that nominee.

Biden is an avuncular, hand-on-the-shoulder senior statesman who lends gravitas, assurance and policy substance to Obama's ticket, which is why he edged out somebody like Tim Kaine of swing state Virginia. Palin is younger, female, solidly antichoice and tough to criticize on labor issues because of her husband's background, which is why she edged out somebody like Rob Portman of swing state Ohio.

As John McCain might say, My friends, mark your calendars: The era of the home-state-flipper veep pick is dead.

Brian Schweitzer interview

Thomas Schaller — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:31:00 PDT

Brian Schweitzer is the outspoken Montana governor who prefers jeans and Native American bolo ties to business apparel. He gave a spirited convention speech on Tuesday night that, for many Democrats and most Americans outside his home state, was their first glimpse of this self-effacing and funny state chief executive. He took a few moments to chat with Salon on Thursday.

Schweitzer handicapped Obama's chances this November in the Western states and talked about John McCain's problems with his base. (The interview was conducted before the announcement of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate.)

Watched you from the floor for your big speech the other night. It was a typical, animated Brian Schweitzer speech. Were you nervous? I notice you didn't have Jag with you. [Jag is the governor's border collie, which walks back and forth to work with Schweitzer and often attends political events with him.]

Nope, not a bit. I do feel a lot more comfortable when my dog is with me. If there's a light moment he will run out there and maybe roll over or start shaking paws with the crowd.

Handicap the Western states for me this fall for Barack Obama against John McCain.

Montana, we won't know about [the result] until midnight, which is the closest it's been in 15 years. Obama could win it, but it's gonna be close. John McCain is going to have to fight for it. Ditto in North Dakota. Wyoming, Idaho and Utah -- not in play. Colorado, Obama wins. New Mexico, Obama wins. Nevada, Obama wins.

Your name had been floated by some as a possible vice-presidential candidate. What do think of Joe Biden?

I think it was a great choice, a great choice. Not only is he going to be able to get out a stick and hit a few people with it, he can say it in a way that is not particularly edgy. And he's a competent guy. The greatest attribute about Joe Biden is that there isn't a person in America that would say, "You know, I'm not sure he's ready to be president." If something should happen -- the unthinkable -- Joe Biden is ready to be president.

A lot of people are talking about, if Obama wins, should healthcare come first or energy reform come first? I'm sure you have some thoughts on this.

Both. You can't pay for healthcare if we're sending a trillion dollars a year to dictators. Bottom line is, we gotta stop hemorrhaging, and the hemorrhaging is full-flung. Climate change, that is the long-term economic hit to our economy. The short-term economic hit to our economy is the largest transfer of wealth from one economy to another economy. So, create a new energy system in America, and create an energy system that's cleaner and greener and is designed by American engineers and built by American workers. Once we get that right we can afford to invest in healthcare and education.

You ran with a Republican running mate for lieutenant governor. What do you think about the rumors that McCain is considering Joe Lieberman as his running mate?

He's got a problem right now because his base doesn't really support him. I don't know a single Republican in Montana who would get in a fight in a bowling alley for John McCain. That's tough for him. He just doesn't have a base that is committed to him. Lieberman would hurt him with his base and there aren't many Democrats that would fall in love with John McCain because he's dating Joe Lieberman.

Handicapping Palin pick

Thomas Schaller — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:10:00 PDT

A quick, and obviously incomplete, roundup of what some analysts and pundits are saying about the Palin pick:

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza calls it what it is: a stunner. MSNBC's Tom Curry describes the pick as a bold gamble, in both senses of the term: gutsy, but risky. And the New York Times' Michael Luo peers a bit closer at the ethics investigation situation.

Liberals quickly piped up. Ezra Klein of the American Prospect expounds on an obvious point: She damn sure isn't another Dick Cheney. Atrios scoffs at the logic that somehow Palin has more experience than Joe Biden, which would mean, by the transitive property of political math, she has more experience than McCain. The Nation's John Nichols piles on the inexperience issue, suggesting gender was the key factor here. The Guardian's Mike Tomasky's advice: Attack her on ideological grounds.

As for conservatives, Noemie Emery of the Weekly Standard offers a Wilsonian, 14-point "what she does" post delineating Palin's pluses and minuses. The National Review's Jack Fowler has met the governor and says her best asset is her likability.

McCain introduces Palin, asks for money

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:42:00 PDT

Unsurprisingly, soon after the debut of the full Republican ticket, John McCain was, like any good politician would, using the rollout to ask his supporters for money. In an e-mail, McCain introduced his new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, calling her "a trailblazer and a reformer ... fearless -- exactly the type of leader I want at my side."

Here's the full letter:

My Friends,
I am honored to announce that I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as my choice for the Republican nominee for Vice President. As a father with three daughters, I can't express how proud I am to choose the first female Republican Vice-Presidential nominee.
Sarah Palin is a trailblazer and a reformer. As the first female governor of Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and has been a tireless advocate for reform -- passing a landmark bill on ethics reform. She has taken on the old politics in Alaska and reformed the state's energy industry. She rejects wasteful pork barrel spending. She's fearless -- exactly the type of leader I want at my side and the type of leadership we will bring to Washington.
My friends, together Sarah Palin and I make the strongest presidential ticket and I know that she joins me in asking for your support as we head into our Convention week in Minnesota. We're shaking things up in this campaign -- and Governor Palin and I are ready to bring real reform to Washington.
The polls indicate this will be a tight race as we head into the fall campaign against Senators Obama and Biden. I expect the polls to remain close all the way up to Election Day and that is why any help you can give today will go a long way to make history on November 4th.
You may already know that I have decided to accept federal matching funds for the final months of this campaign -- keeping a campaign promise I made. But that means that August 31st marks the last day I can accept your primary contribution. Will you make an immediate donation of whatever you can give -- whether it's $50 or $500 to ensure Governor Palin and I win in November?
You can be assured that as President and Vice President, Governor Palin and I will always put country before all else. We are ready to lead and I ask that you join our campaign today. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
John McCain
P.S. I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin as my running mate and today we will hold a joint campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio. Please tune in to any of the cable news stations to watch this rally at noon eastern time. After watching the rally, I hope you'll visit my website to financially support our ticket as we head into next week's Republican Convention. Thank you.

Obama camp responds to Palin pick

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:55:00 PDT

Barack Obama's campaign has now responded to John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. A statement, attributed to Obama spokesman Bill Burton, reads:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.

Update: And here's a joint statement from Obama and Joe Biden:

We send our congratulations to Governor Sarah Palin and her family on her designation as the Republican nominee for Vice President. It is yet another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics. While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward Governor Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign.

Who is Sarah Palin?

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:19:00 PDT

John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is a surprise not just because all of the signals coming out of his campaign earlier this week had been pointing in drastically different directions. In part, it's a surprise because she's still a relative newcomer on the national political scene.

Palin, 44, has been in her current job since only December 2006. Before that, she served for four years, from 1992 until 1996, on the Wasilla, Alaska, City Council; after that, she served until 2002 as mayor of the same city.

Of course, Palin's relative lack of high-level experience will be noted frequently over the coming days, especially given the intensive focus on Barack Obama's own experience. That would seem to be a downside to the pick for the McCain campaign -- it makes it that much harder for Republicans to attack Obama on that front.

However, the Palin pick offers McCain some important advantages. First, obviously, she's a woman, and given the political climate this year, that could prove to be important for McCain's campaign. Not only could she help the Arizona senator pull away some of the Democrats who were supporters of Hillary Clinton and remain disaffected, she might help blunt the narrative about Obama's campaign being historic and turn some media attention back to McCain.

Perhaps just as important for McCain, who has at times had trouble appealing to his party's base, Palin is very popular with conservatives. She has earned the approval of economic conservatives, and is a powerful symbol for social conservatives -- when informed last year that the baby she was carrying had Down syndrome, she opted against having an abortion.

Moreover, there's another politically advantageous member of her family: Her son Track, the eldest of her children, is in the Army and is expected to deploy to Iraq this fall. That could counter the emotional impact of the deployment of Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden's son Beau.

Moreover, Palin is extremely popular in her home state; some polls have shown her with an 80 percent approval rate. The only drawback there is that Alaska Republicans have been severely tarnished by ethics scandals of late, and Palin herself hasn't been able to escape investigation.

Nets confirm: It's Palin

Alex Koppelman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:40:00 PDT

AP/Mark Lester

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a press conference in Anchorage Aug. 13, 2008.

It's official. In a surprise move, John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. The McCain-Palin ticket will be unveiled at an appearance in Dayton, Ohio, that begins at 12 p.m. EDT Friday.

Who is McCain's pick?

Mike Madden — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:43:00 PDT

John McCain is scheduled to announce his running mate in just about two hours, but so far, no one seems to have any idea whom he has picked.

All morning, the likely candidates have been dropping like flies. It's not Mitt Romney. It's not Tim Pawlenty. It's not Joe Lieberman. It's not Mike Huckabee. Speculation early this morning focused on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, but her staff says she's in Alaska, not Dayton, Ohio, where McCain's rally will start at 12 p.m. Eastern. Fox News was reporting this morning that her aides can't actually say for sure where she is. (Given how well the campaign has guarded the pick, it's possible any of those denials could be wrong.) Republican sources tell Salon they haven't heard anything yet, though they're impressed by the secrecy involved.

McCain kept the search close to the vest all summer, consulting with a tight inner circle of aides who all refused, constantly, to talk about the process. In the past few days, reports indicated that even those aides didn't know whom McCain had picked. Political operatives thought Barack Obama's campaign did a good job keeping Joe Biden's name out of the news until the night before that famous text message went out, but McCain has clearly gone one better.

If it is Palin, it could make the "Obama's not ready" argument a little tougher to sell. At 44, she's younger than Obama, and she has been governor only since 2007. She's very conservative, but she ran on a reform platform and distanced herself from the scandal-plagued Alaska Republican establishment.

Republicans reportedly considering delaying convention

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:50:00 PDT

In a post in this space on Thursday, Vincent Rossmeier noted that there has been discussion inside the White House about possibly canceling President Bush's speech at the Republican convention next week, depending on the turns taken by tropical storm Gustav.

Now, the Washington Post is out with an article that takes things one step further -- because of Gustav, the Post says, "Republican officials ... are considering delaying the start of the GOP convention." The Post also has the same report about deliberations inside the White House about whether to cancel Bush's appearance.

As the Post says, there's a very good reason why Republicans would want to avoid holding their convention as a storm batters the U.S.: Hurricane Katrina. Even if it weren't for Katrina and the negative perceptions still attached to the party from the damage the hurricane inflicted, holding what is essentially a political party while Americans suffer just doesn't look good.

And there's one other reason a decision to delay the convention might serve John McCain's strategic purposes. Actually, there are two: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Both are scheduled to speak on that first day, and a hurricane-related delay might be just the excuse the McCain camp needs to ensure that the pair doesn't appear without angering the large segment within the Republican Party that still holds the administration in high regard.

McCain camp responds

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:46:00 PDT

DENVER -- John McCain's campaign has released its response to Barack Obama's speech here tonight. The statement, attributed to spokesman Brian Rogers, reads:

Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President.

"With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination"

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:06:00 PDT

DENVER -- By the time Barack Obama took the stage to accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, so many people had gathered in Denver's Invesco Field that to call the noise the crowd made merely a roar wouldn't do it justice. For those inside the press box, it was as if the crowd were making the stadium itself shake. Eighty-five thousand people were there to hear Obama speak, one of his spokeswomen told Salon, and he didn't disappoint them.

Those stadium-shaking bursts of enthusiasm had been sweeping through the crowd all night, but the crowd of course saved its loudest cheers for the man they'd come to see. When he came onstage, the crowd erupted. Signs bearing the signature word of Obama's campaign, "Change," went up throughout the stadium, and the whole place seemed to be filled with waving American flags. Every so often, another rumble built and shook the press box. And just when it seemed the audience might let Obama speak, the familiar chant of "Yes, we can" began, and the stadium seemed to shake again.

Obama, though, was always composed. He remained firmly in control, delivering with his usual command a speech that deftly wrapped the different points he needed to hit into a single coherent narrative.

The newly official nominee's first task was to define himself, not just to humanize himself for those who still fear him but also to fight back against the way he has been defined by his opponent. He did so in the context of what he called "that fundamental promise that has made this country great -- a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight." And he illustrated that through the story of his own family and his own life, saying:

In the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor ...
In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree ...
When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for.

Then, in one of the best lines of his speech, Obama turned those stories back on what has been one of his opponent's most successful lines of attack against him recently. "I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine," Obama said.

That was the kind of jab Obama succeeded in landing on McCain several times during the course of the night, lines that hit their intended target with no small force but without making the candidate himself seem angry or negative.

"Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle class as someone making under $5 million a year?"

"When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops ... John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have."

And, taking the opportunity he was granted by having so many eyes upon him, Obama also pushed back against those who have worked to portray him as un-American and unpatriotic. Indeed, this was the central thread that held the speech together. It was a thesis about what Obama called the "promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family."

"That's why I stand here tonight," Obama told the crowd. "Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive."

Celebrities don't hold campaign rallies

Mike Madden — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:08:00 PDT

DENVER -- John McCain's campaign was trying to sell the press on the idea that the final night of the Democratic convention was basically one nonstop rock concert, but it's wrong: Half the crowd had a suit on, people sat patiently through hours of political speeches in the blazing sun without any sign they were bored waiting for the headliner, and besides, the wave didn't really get started until after Al Gore left the stage. (Yes, that's a joke.)

Despite what Republicans wanted people to believe, Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight had more or less the same vibe as the first few nights of the convention, just on a bigger scale. Organizers picked up the whole operation from the Pepsi Center and moved it about a mile down the road to Mile High Stadium at Invesco Field. Security perimeters vanished overnight, rebuilt around the football field. Even the carefully organized props the convention officials passed out earlier in the week made the trek -- they distributed American flags of varying sizes for people to wave (or put on their lapel). And then before Obama's speech, officials got blue "Change" signs to everyone in the stadium -- all 85,000 or so. Yeah, fine, Stevie Wonder sang, and people got up and danced (but only to his hit "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" -- they stayed seated for the song with "Barack Obama" in the chorus, even with its go-go backbeat). But people danced to Melissa Etheridge, too, back at the basketball arena.

This was not some crowd gathered to see what kind of train wreck Britney Spears has turned into, or gawking at someone they know only from MTV; it was a political rally, the same as anything McCain might speak at (only with far, far more people there). What the speech helped show was the cheap shot behind the "celebrity" charges the GOP has been hurling, with some effectiveness, at Obama all summer. McCain isn't exactly some unknown policy wonk toiling away in the Russell Senate Office Building, unrecognized by the tourists passing by -- eight years ago, he was the Republican Obama, the insurgent reformer with the exciting brand, and if Obama is a celebrity, McCain is, too.

The Denver fire marshal locked the building down, as the crowd strained its 84,000-person capacity. And most of the people here were voters, many from Colorado, a battleground state. The campaign encouraged them to send text messages all night -- building up its database for the fall -- and collected information from them on their way in. And it had them work phone banks in the hallways all afternoon. Obama's speech, actually, was more than a political rally -- it was also the largest field office in the history of campaigns. Just a day after Obama filled a football mega-stadium, McCain will hold a rally in Dayton, Ohio, to announce his vice-presidential pick. His campaign can barely give tickets away. Maybe the lasting message Democrats should take from the speech Thursday night was this: When Obama gathered 84,000 people to hear him in Denver, they weren't fans. They were supporters. And if things break Obama's way, McCain may soon find that the reason his crowds aren't as big is because he doesn't have as many of them.

Gore compares Obama to Lincoln

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:00:00 PDT

DENVER -- If you didn't know better, you might, for a minute, have thought that it was Al Gore who was here at Invesco Field to accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, so loud was the roar that greeted him when he took the stage.

The former vice president made the best of his defeat at the hands of George W. Bush eight years ago in making the case for Barack Obama.

"Take it from me, if [the 2000 presidential election] had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him," Gore said. "We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis ... We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we'd be protecting the rights of every American ... Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000 ... because John McCain ... is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them."

Gore did get in a few lines that showed off his vastly underappreciated sense of humor, as he actually poked fun at himself and his loss. But the passion in his speech, and in the audience, cooled midway through the address; his discussions of global warming, though it's now his signature issue, just didn't pop.

But as he came to his conclusion, Gore picked it back up, especially as he talked about Obama. "There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon awakening to the challenge of a present danger, shaking off complacency to rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of embracing change," Gore said, continuing:

A century and a half ago, when America faced our greatest trial, the end of one era gave way to the birth of another. The candidate who emerged victorious in that election is now regarded by most historians as our greatest president. Before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln's experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature ... and one term in Congress -- during which he showed the courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country that was popular when it started but later condemned by history.
The experience Lincoln's supporters valued most in that race was his powerful ability to inspire hope in the future at a time of impasse. He was known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator ... In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition.

"This election is our chance ... to keep the American promise alive"

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:22:00 PDT

DENVER -- We're still a couple of hours away from the speech in which Barack Obama will officially accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, but excerpts of his address have been released. In it, Obama speaks of the American dream, the "fundamental promise that has made this country great," saying that "promise has been threatened" during the Bush administration.

The portions of Obama's speech that have been released thus far can be read below.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story -- of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.
It is why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.
We meet at one of those defining moments -- a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay and tuition that is beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this ...
This moment -- this election -- is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."
Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change ...
You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put away a little extra money at the end of each month so that you can someday watch your child receive her diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President -- when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.
We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job -- an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great -- a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight ...
That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
I will cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.
And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced ...
We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans -- have built, and we are to restore that legacy.
As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

In ad, McCain congratulates Obama

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:24:00 PDT

DENVER -- In his latest ad, John McCain appears to be taking the high road. Looking directly into the camera, the presumptive Republican nominee doesn't attack his opponent -- instead, he congratulates him, saying:

Senator Obama: This is truly a good day for America. All too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say congratulations. How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow we'll be back at it, but tonight, Senator, job well done.

The ad closes with -- ironically, given the McCain camp's frequent line of attack against Obama -- an image of McCain smiling beatifically at his audience, looking so pure and sweet you might swear there was a halo around his head.

But this ad is not nearly as free of politics as it seems. In fact, it's just another part of the work the McCain camp has been doing over the past couple of days to take some of the attention from Obama on his big night here at Denver's Invesco Field. Before the spot hit the Internet on Thursday afternoon, the McCain camp spent the morning hyping it, getting the media talking about what might be coming. And then there's the leak campaign designed to advertise a future leak campaign -- the McCain camp has been dropping serious hints that the name of the Arizona senator's running mate will be slipping out tonight, even though the actual rollout isn't until tomorrow.

MSNBC's meltdown

Vincent Rossmeier — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:00 PDT

So "Jerry Springer" it's not, but MSNBC's coverage of the Democratic convention has often seemed a lot like one of Springer's old-time episodes of hair-pulling, shirt-ripping, expletive-dropping, diaper-wearing transvestites and the women who love them fun.

OK, that's an exaggeration. But the recent, widely publicized on-air disputes among MSNBC's anchors are grabbing headlines.

Let's start at the beginning. Huffington Post has compiled a handy round-by-round guide of the pundit bouts, the first of which occurred Monday when Keith Olbermann derisively told conservative Joe Scarborough to "get a shovel" after Scarborough claimed presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain was gaining in national polls.

Then came perhaps the biggest blowup of the entire week, a nearly 10-minute exchange Tuesday during which Scarborough and David Shuster yelled back and forth. Scarborough concluded the discussion by calling Shuster "Rip Van Shuster" and saying, "Shuster, I have no idea what you're talking about ... Have you been sleeping the past couple months? ... Do you never watch this show? ... You usually sleep through this show because you didn't show up three times in a row ... Somebody got into some bad acid at the protests and this conversation turned terribly wrong."

Not to be outdone, Chris Matthews then got into the act Tuesday. While House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer waited to be interviewed, first Matthews yelled to someone off-camera that he would "wrap in a second." Then, after Olbermann introduced Hoyer, Matthews went after his coanchor, saying, "You made that sound, Keith. I can do the same to you. That's what I thought and I said it."

Finally (at least for now), Wednesday night, after Republican pundit Mike Murphy opined that he believed Hillary Clinton would vote for John McCain, Olbermann said loudly, "Let's wrap him up, all right?"

Add to these incidents MSNBC's horrible decision to position its outdoor set in front of Denver's Union Station, so that both train whistles and screaming protesters frequently interrupt its broadcasts, and you have a television meltdown on your hands. And it comes at an awful time -- right in the middle of one of the network's most important spans of coverage for the entire year.

The Politico and the Wall Street Journal have documented the on-air grudge matches in articles over the past two days. The Politico quotes an anonymous "high-ranking MSNBC journalist" as saying, "The situation at our channel is about to blow up." And the Wall Street Journal quotes former MSNBC host and "CBS Evening News" coanchor Connie Chung, who said, "My reaction to that is: 'Grow up!' They have to just grow up."

Despite all the attention the spats have received in the media, however, MSNBC president Phil Griffin doesn't seem worried. "Look, I want honest, authentic people on our air. I don't want phonies. So if the price of that is every once in a while one of these bubbles up, I'm not concerned," he told the Wall Street Journal. And Griffin told the Politico that "this is our team. They've served us well. We love 'em, and we're going to be at the Republican convention, and it's going to be great. And I don't have any hesitation."

And what about MSNBC's ratings? While it has improved on the ratings front during the convention, it still trails CNN and Fox News overall for convention coverage.

Clips of all four of the interactions can be viewed below.

Cindy McCain's half sister will vote for Obama

Justin Jouvenal — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:52:00 PDT

The polls have been looking pretty good for John McCain in recent weeks, but now there's word his support is softening among a key constituency: His in-laws.

Cindy McCain's half sister, Kathleen Hensley Portalski, told Us magazine she's voting for Obama. "I think his proposals to improve the country are more positive and I'm not a big war believer," Portalski said.

Portalski, 65, and Cindy McCain, 54, are not exactly chummy. Portalski told Us that Cindy is cool and standoffish. She was also sore that McCain was featured in an NPR story earlier this month as an "only child." Portalski and McCain share the same father, Jim Hensley, the founder of beer distributor Hensley and Co., which is the source of much of Cindy McCain's wealth. Interestingly, according to NPR, while Hensley provided financial support to Portalski and her children over the years, he willed his entire estate to Cindy. Portalski was left with $10,000.

For someone from the party of "family values," McCain's sure having trouble rounding up the votes of his relatives. Us also reports that Portalski's son, Nathan, plans to back Obama as well. Nathan had some harsh words for both McCains.

"I wouldn't vote for John McCain if he was a Democrat," he said. "I would not vote at all before I'd vote for him." He went on: "I question whether Cindy is someone I'd want to see in the White House as first lady."

The next Barack Obama?

Rebecca Traister — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:37:00 PDT

DENVER -- Anyone seeking stealth inspiration and a bit of political passion, not to mention a dose of intellect that makes Barack Obama sound like Dan Quayle would have been very lucky, as Salon was, to stumble upon an appearance here by Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, N.J.

Booker was speaking at an event held by Vote Hope, a PAC founded to help elect Barack Obama president that's now broadening to create an infrastructure that will help propel more minority candidates to elected office. Booker, a charismatic 39-year-old, was introduced by Vote Hope founder Steve Phillips as "the next Barack Obama," even as he was running -- literally -- into the banquet hall.

Once he caught his breath, Booker began a speech that served as an introduction to his unusual story: After playing football at Stanford and attending Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, he arrived in drug- and crime-addled Newark as what he called "an arrogant Yale law student" who chose to live on what he called "a challenged block." After winning an upset victory to become a Newark city councilman, Booker was not the most popular guy on that block, or with Newark's long entrenched and corrupt city government, and told of having his car ticketed and his employees going unpaid.

Booker described his early political life, during which he'd promised his supporters hope and change that he wasn't sure how to deliver, in terms that must have resonated with convention guests here to nominate Obama for president. "I had these people who believed in me so much," Booker said. But as a 20-something kid, he said, he didn't know exactly how to fulfill their expectations. "Every time I'd come to a point where I'd begin to indulge in what I should not be indulging in -- cynicism or skepticism or doubt," he said, a host of elder colleagues "would smack me upside the head."

In a desperate bid to draw attention to the open-air drug trade on his corner, Booker staged a 10-day hunger strike, sleeping in a tent on his corner in a protest that made headlines and brought supporters to join him. "My very cynical friends said it was the only way I could get anyone to sleep with me," he joked.

Booker's self-introduction touched on many of the quirks that have made him a press darling and a rising star in East Coast (and now national) politics. "I have always loved manifestations of faith," he said, noting that he'd traveled to ashrams in India, and that he was "the only goy head of the L'Chaim Society at Oxford," which is true.

Like Obama, Booker is a rare politician: unwilling to dumb himself down, and in fact eager to let his brains hang out. And, as with Obama, politically and culturally sophisticated audiences -- like the crowd gathered for Vote Hope -- cannot get enough of him. His 20-minute address included references to Langston Hughes, Golda Meir and Martin Luther King Jr., and a remarkable recitation (he said he was paraphrasing, but it sounded right on) of most of the last two pages of James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time," pages he called his favorite passage of literature, one that he said unlocked "the very secret and power of our country." It's the passage that goes, "One is, after all, emboldened by the spectacle of human history in general, and American Negro history in particular, for it testifies to nothing less than the perpetual achievement of the impossible."

Booker concluded with his own exhortation, saying that "the work of our ancestors is not done. We must now pay the price and make the sacrifices they made so that our children may dream again." Drawing on King's famous line that he had seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, Booker said that it is up to us to "prove our ancestors right and make the most daring dreamers feel that they have underestimated our potential."

It is perhaps the greatest testament to the barriers that have begun to fall around us that Booker didn't sound like he was talking about a distant future but, rather, a very near one.

Obama delegates ready to celebrate

Caitlin Shamberg — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:17:00 PDT

DENVER -- Outside of the Pepsi Center on Wednesday evening, I checked in with the sleep deprived, but still giddy Obama delegates after a week of free food, handshakes and history. You can see the video below.

Bush might not make same mistake twice

Vincent Rossmeier — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:32:00 PDT

If there's one thing George W. Bush has shown Americans time and again during his nearly eight years as president, it's that he's a man who's willing and able to learn from his mistakes. So it probably comes as no surprise that Fox News is reporting that within the White House there "are conversations under way" to decide whether President Bush will actually speak at the Republican convention on Monday as scheduled.

Forecasters expect tropical storm Gustav to develop into a hurricane by Monday, when it may reach New Orleans. Vice President Dick Cheney is also scheduled to speak at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., the same day.

As Fox's Bret Baier says in the video below, the "administration is obviously very sensitive to this."

Plouffe on McCain's "high-water mark"

Rebecca Traister — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:47:00 PDT

DENVER -- "We think that McCain is at more of a high-water mark right now than we are," David Plouffe, Barack Obama's campaign manager said Wednesday, expressing his conviction that the presumptive Republican nominee is about to see his support among women and undecided voters erode.

But the notion that this is John McCain's high-water mark is not exactly confidence-inspiring, since Plouffe was speaking to reporters at an event hosted by Time magazine on the same afternoon that his boss was becoming the official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. We're smack in the middle of what should be the Democrats' loudest, proudest and most aggressive gathering. And we're only days away from a Republican convention that, with Rudy Giuliani as its keynote speaker, is likely to look a lot more like a bloody hockey game (starring Obama as the puck) than the curling match that had taken place in Denver until the Clintons and Joe Biden goosed the proceedings.

Plouffe, who was joined by Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer, gave Time writers Jay Carney and Karen Tumulty first crack before he took questions from other journalists. Asked about possible second thoughts about Obama's plan to give his Thursday night speech in the monstrously large Invesco Field, Pfeiffer and Plouffe emphasized that it was a strategic move designed to increase their chances of winning Colorado. "We're thrilled with it," Plouffe said. "Colorado is a big battleground state and if it slips into the Obama column and out of the McCain column [McCain] will be in big trouble."

Plouffe also emphasized his confidence about close races in states, especially Western and Southern states, where, he said, the Obama campaign "has an ability to readjust the electorate" by bringing out African-Americans and young people who have not voted in past elections and who may not be reflected in current polling. "We don't want to just increase African-American turnout," said Plouffe, "but for it to be the highest it's ever been in history. We want not just increased turnout among voters under the age of 30, but for it to be the highest it's ever been."

Even in a state like Ohio, which has a less flexible electorate, Plouffe said that if McCain replicates George W. Bush's 2004 numbers, it might not be good enough, since he's counting on Obama bringing out "a lot more voters than John Kerry did." The difference, he said, is Obama's field operation. "One thing we never run into out there is McCain people on the ground," he said. McCain, Plouffe argued, "is obsessed with chasing news stories" and creating media cycles while Obama is still focused on the grass-roots campaign that won him the primary, and the conviction that the best way of convincing an undecided voter is to have a friend, family member or colleague tell the voter about Barack Obama. Of course, Plouffe did not address the possibility that if John McCain is controlling the news cycle, that friend, family member or colleague is probably telling the undecided voter that Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Report: McCain's veep choice to be notified today

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:38:00 PDT

Multiple outlets are reporting that John McCain has arrived at a final decision about the identity of his running mate, and that the person chosen will be notified at some point today. An official announcement will likely come on Friday.

As I mentioned earlier this week, some McCain aides were reportedly discussing the possibility of making the announcement tonight, the same night as Barack Obama's speech to the Democratic convention. It seems like that plan is dead, but that doesn't mean McCain's pick might not step on Obama's speech anyway. As you'll recall from this past weekend and the announcement of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate, once the logistics of the rollout get set in motion, there's more of a chance of leaks and other sorts of clues.

At the moment, prominently included among the names being floated as possible picks are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman may be the riskiest pick of the three because of the potential that choosing him would alienate social conservatives, so it's not too surprising to hear the reports that Karl Rove was working behind the scenes to shut down a McCain-Lieberman ticket. Politico's Jonathan Martin reports that Rove called Lieberman last week to ask him to tell McCain he's not interested in the job. That sounds remarkably like part of columnist Robert Novak's recent report about Lieberman, and obviously Rove and Novak have a long reporter-source relationship.

Update: McCain himself, in a radio interview this morning, said, "I haven't decided yet."

MIA at convention: Anti-Bush swag

Jeanne Carstensen — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:15:00 PDT

DENVER -- OK, the smirker in chief is not totally absent.

But besides the Bush Legacy Tour Bus, a traveling museum of George W.'s failed policies, the pickings are surprisingly thin.

Among all the Barack Obama T-shirts, hats, buttons, mugs, key rings and teddy bears for sale from vendors on every street corner, I found only a few anti-Bush souvenirs -- all buttons, all pretty ho-hum.

There's a dumb-looking Bush with the words "Good Riddance," McCain and "McSame," and Bush, Cheney and Rummy dressed as the Three Stooges. Snore.

Don't get me wrong. I am a sucker for a lot of the Obama-wear and will pack my bags with a selection of fabulous T-shirts and other memorabilia. And there's some great Hillary Clinton swag, too.

My question is this: Where is the boogeyman? The lack of Bush swag on the streets is a metaphor for the relative lack of Bush-bashing in the campaign. This is a president with the worst approval ratings since Atilla the Hun, so why aren't the Dems taking better advantage of it?

Hillary Clinton's line from Tuesday night, "It makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart," was one of the best lines of the convention so far. Where's the T-shirt? I want to buy it.

Biden, officially the vice-presidential nominee, takes the stage

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:11:00 PDT

DENVER -- If there were any questions remaining about why Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate, Biden answered them tonight.

Most of all, what Biden showed when he spoke at the Pepsi Center was the particular combination of skills and experience that he brings to the ticket. As he said, he learned from his mother (the surprise star of the night) at a young age that when the bigger boys knocked him down, he needed to right back out and bloody their nose. He'll be asked to do plenty of that over the next few months, and he got an early start tonight by taking some sharp jabs at John McCain. And he also gave plenty of attention to foreign policy, loading his speech with the kind of details that Obama needs him to bring.

Having told you what I thought, though, once again, I want to know -- how do you think Biden did tonight?

"Barack Obama is ready to be president"

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:35:00 PDT

DENVER -- Former President Bill Clinton, the last Democrat elected to the White House, took the stage tonight to call on his party to work to elect a Democrat this year.

Of course, that Democrat, Barack Obama, is the one who defeated Clinton's wife in this year's primaries. So there has been quite a bit of skepticism about just how vociferous Clinton would be in endorsing Obama tonight. Well, he answered that question pretty definitively in his speech, frequently and loudly endorsing Obama in front of a crowd that cheered him for minutes before finally letting him speak. And he made sure to take the fight to presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, and to address the talking points put out by Republicans after Hillary Clinton's speech Wednesday night.

For the past two nights, with the big speeches, I've asked you to weigh in and let us know what you thought. Third time's the charm, right? So what did you think?

How it happened

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:00:00 PDT

DENVER -- There are almost certainly still some people out there who are upset by how the roll-call vote here at the Democratic convention was conducted. But the Democrats did a stellar job of making sure the vote made as many people as possible happy, and in bringing it to an end that showed the country a unified Democratic Party.

As expected, many state delegations were able to cast their votes before the roll call was halted. With Hillary Clinton having released her delegates earlier in the day, however, most of the votes didn't reflect the actual results of the primaries and caucuses held earlier this year. Clinton still got some votes, though far fewer than she had won over the course of this year, as many of her delegates followed her example and voted for Barack Obama.

Often, the conventions are carefully stage-managed, with some delegations passing when it comes to their turn, so that a state with a certain symbolism can be the one to put the candidate over the top. This year, the vote was coordinated to show the party's unity, and to ensure that Obama would not get a majority of the votes before Clinton herself had a chance to weigh in from the floor.

By the time the vote came to New Mexico, Obama had picked up a total of 1,549.5 votes to Clinton's 341.5. But as the proceedings were going in alphabetical order, that meant it was time to ensure the smoothest possible transition to New York, the state Clinton represents in the Senate. So New Mexico yielded -- to Illinois, which Obama represents in the same body, and which had itself yielded earlier. Then, with the requisite speechifying, Illinois itself yielded to New York and the moment everyone was waiting for.

At first, there was a small cheer, as the delegations nearest New York saw Clinton, flanked by her fellow senator from New York, Chuck Schumer, get into position. And when her face came on the big screen, the hall erupted.

"In the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare in one voice, right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and that he will be our next president," Clinton said. "Madame Secretary, I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules and suspend the further conduct of the roll-call vote, all votes cast by the delegates will be counted, and I move that Senator Barack Obama of Illinois be selected by this convention by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic Party."

Asked if there was anyone who would second the motion, the entire hall responded as one. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, serving as chairwoman, then conducted the vote -- she got a resounding "aye," and didn't give time for the "nos" to respond (none could be heard anyway) before bringing down the gavel and declaring Obama the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

It's official: Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee

Alex Koppelman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:50:00 PDT

DENVER -- The Pepsi Center is rocking to the strains of "Love Train" right now, because Barack Obama is, officially, the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

As expected, when the roll call vote got to the New York delegation it was Hillary Clinton who moved to nominate her former rival by acclamation.