Live Blogging McCain's Speech

So, they showed video of 9/11. Graphic video. Broke an unwritten taboo: Don't politicize these deaths.

Let's remind people that we still haven't got the guys who DID this...

10:24 Looks like they have the teleprompter working. It wasn't earlier this evening.

10:26. he's saying "Hey, my mom is 96, I'll last through the first term."

10:28: Get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace...like the Republicans FAILED to do for the last 8 years.

10:30 Protesters carried out. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other." All those "USA" chants are going to send McCain over out of prime time.

10:32: She's tackled energy independence??? From an Oil State? Wait, did he just say she works with her hands and nose?

10:35: I've fought corruption. ( See Keating, Charles)

10:36: Fought lobbyists? He has more lobbyists on his campaign than anybody!

10:39: Bad housing market...wonder where McCain voted on deregulation of the mortgage industry? FightFightFightFight...how about WORKING for us?

10:42: "We're all Americans". Let's see how long that lasts.

10:44 "My health care plan"...John McCain wouldn't be covered by his own health care plan.

10:45 oh forget it, I can't type fast enough to keep up with all the bovine excrement.

10:49 "Education is the Civil Rights Issue of this century". Dog whistle speak for "I will see to it that you get vouchers so you don't have to send your kids to schools that are desegregated."

10:51: We'll drill oil well now. With what, might I ask? There is a world wide shortage of drilling rigs.

10:52; Obama believes we can deal with energy by not drilling and no nuclear, but "Americans know better than that". I guess that "we're all Americans" schtick didn't last long. 10 minutes, by my count.

10:56: Oh, lordy, he is reminding us that he remembers Pearl Harbor. Not smart.

10:57: He is talking to the base, and trying to talk to the independents...not sure it's connecting.

11:09 Fight with me, fight, fight, fight...

11:10. Again with the "We're all just raising McCain" song...

11:11. Hmm. He brought it back to the Hanoi Hilton. But I don't think he fired up anybody but the base. Methinks it's their best moment, and it's pretty much downhill from here.

I noticed earlier this evening that the crawl underneath "The O'Reilly Factor" kept talking about how some Democratic candidates got bigger bounces out of conventions than Republicans, but eventually lost.

11:14 Oh dear lord, they are playing " Barricuda" by Heart, in tribute to Palin's nickname, "The Barricuda". Wonder if they got permission from Heart.

Balloons and confetti...and video of fireworks. Man, we had REAL fireworks at our convention. And, like last night, "September" by Earth Wind and Fire. Gee, wonder who the brothers in EWF are voting for??? And did the R's get permission to use that music?

Wonder what the Nielsen rating was for this? I can't see what the talking heads are saying, because I am watching a live feed thru MSNBC. But I can't imagine there is going to be a big bounce out of this campaign for McCain. All they have managed to do is piss off a bunch of Democratic women, and apparently the D's raised over $10 million just today in reponse to Palin's speech. And that was as of 6 p.m.

I can't say I had a "gulp" moment, one where I thought, oh jeez, that hurts us. For all of McCain's talk of shaking up Washington, he voted with Bush 90% of the time. Which of his votes will he repudiate? He wants us to remember 40 years ago when he was in Hanoi, he doesn't want us to remember 20 years ago when he was embroiled in the Savings and Loan debacle and the Keating Scandal.

I have to say, tepid. Not intrepid.

And now he has $85 million to spend. We raised $10 million *today*. I will predict over 300 Electoral College votes.

Providing that there is, in fact, an election on November 4th.