DNC - Day 2 - Hillary

On Monday night, the Democratic Party sought unity by focusing on Ted Kennedy and reminding the Obamamaniacs and Clintonites that before either of their groups claimed the party, the Kennedys were the uniting figures. Bill Clinton must not have watched last night, because he again vaguely questioned the nomination of Obama today. (Apparently, he wasn't alone in not watching. Practically as many people tuned in for "Deal or No Deal" as watched the convention on ABC, NBC, and CBS combined.) If Hillary's speech doesn't bring unity tonight, the Democrats may be rousing the spirits of Eleanor Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson. It should be high theatre.

I began watching about 8:05. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas was speaking. I can't believe she was one of the names mentioned as VP for Obama. She had nothing. No one was listening, she said nothing inspiring, I think she just woke up from a nap - she must have been on a very long short list. Next up Bob Casey, a rarity of all rarities - a pro-life Democrat! He had to rush through that detail in his speech out of fear a riot would ensue if the delegates found out. Then came the keynote address.

Rewind a mere four years ago when an unknown figure gave the keynote address. An Illinois state congressman running for Senate. His speech was electric. That single speech launched Obama into the stratosphere. How about tonight for Mark Warner? Not so much.

During the break, the camera kept showing Biden and Michelle Obama. Every time the camera would cut to the two of them, Biden's mouth was moving non-stop, I mean non-stop, and Michelle's head was nodding. This went on for a few minutes. I bet she wishes Barack had tapped Calvin Coolidge instead. She had that look of "Please stop talking to me" on her face.

Time for the main event - video tribute to Hillary with a comment or two by "Hillary's Husband," as Bill was titled in the video - I found that quite humorous. One comment in her video that struck me: "We weren't able to do it this time." Hmm, I wonder what she means by "this time."

Out comes Hillary, and it was more painful/sad than I even thought it would be. Not only did the media flash pre-convention photos of multiple pantsuits being matched with the backdrop, but here was Hillary - the inevitable candidate. This was supposed to be her party, and she had to come out and make a speech for Obama - The Mark Warner of '04. She's got to be kicking herself everyday that she underestimated him. Anyway, Hillary gave a good, solid speech. I have always thought she would be the most formidable candidate against John McCain. She showed that again tonight. I think the few weeks out of the spotlight did her some good too. She didn't channel Eleanor Roosevelt, but she did practically all she could to swallow her pride and support Obama. The highlights:

• By my count she mentioned supporting Obama 9.5 times
• She mentioned Biden 2 times
• Michelle Obama 1 time
• Bill Clinton's presidency 1 time
• McCain as her friend 1 time
• Anti-Bush 3 times
• anti-McCain 2.5 times with another 4 soft jabs

Those were my counts. Spending a substantial amount of time on her run for the presidency, Clinton made a couple of errors, in my estimation. First, she mentioned her "35 years of experience" in politics. Immediately, I thought of the very little political experience of Obama. Not a good comparison to make for the Obama campaign. Second, she said nothing of Obama's ability to maintain security or face the threat of terror. Why is this a glaring omission? Because the McCain campaign is using a quote of Clinton's where she compares the vast experience and readiness of John McCain to Obama's lone speech in 2002. By not addressing that issue, she left the door open for the McCain campaign to continue to attack Obama using her own words.

Regardless of the omissions, Clinton did all that could be expected of someone who lost such a close race. The tension in the hall seemed to be relieved. It's up to the Obama campaign now to capture the Clinton hold-outs. Of course, tomorrow evening Bill Clinton speaks. So everyone will be holding their breath once again.