Democratic convention liveblogging

1. What a dull convention so far. I don't expect any political convention to be all that interesting these days, as scripted as they are, but if I wasn't paid to watch this thing, I wouldn't. Seriously. Do you Democrats among us find any of this compelling? I love a good speech, but to this point, I ain't heard even a half-ass one. Pelosi's address was catatonia-inducing. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's half-sister, has a beautiful, resonant voice, but didn't know how to use it.

2. That's okay; Soetoro-Ng has only been in public life for a short time, and hardly at all. Not so for Caroline Kennedy, who's a truly lousy speaker. I don't want her to be, but she sure is.

3. But what a lovely videotaped tribute to Teddy Kennedy, especially the remarks from the father of the dead soldier. And good for him for coming out, sick as he is. This may well be his last Democratic convention. God knows I'm no fan of the man, and this speech was Kennedy boilerplate, but delivered with great gusto and passion. -- and he ended this speech just as he did the 1980 Democratic convention. A historic moment -- and the only sign of life so far tonight.

4. The Republicans sent in their Trojan horse, the chalky Jim Leach, who could put a methhead to sleep. The Kennedy interlude aside, this is absolutely crushingly dull. Why on earth would the Democrats hand over this prime speaking position to a man who makes Les Nessman look like a satyr. James Carville no doubt speaks for a lot of Democrats by saying that the party is playing "hide the message" tonight. He's really frustrated by how off-message the Democrats are tonight. He said that on the first night of the GOP convention, you'd better believe that the Republicans are going to hammer Obama. Said Carville: "They gonna tap dance on his head, absolutely, as they should."

Maybe Michelle Obama's speech will be good. But if not, well, look, if you're a McCain voter, you've got to be very pleased with how the Democrats blew their first night.

5. Historian Michael Beschloss on PBS said: "The Democratic Party is a Ted Kennedy party" -- meaning that even though Jimmy Carter beat Teddy in 1980, it was Teddy who has left the deeper mark on the party. The Democratic Party is a Ted Kennedy party" . OK, if you say so...

6.Michelle's brother will not just shut up and get on with it. Good grief, who wants to hear these Robinson family home-movie stories. Dull, dull, dull. She's the speaker tonight, man, not you!

7. Good GRIEF, he's STILL TALKING!

8. Michelle is radiant. She's gotten a lot better at public speaking than she used to be. It's easy to imagine her as First Lady.

9. "You treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them." -- nice line, on the values she and Barack grew up with. This speech is doing the Oprah-esque job it was supposed to do: humanize herself and her husband. If this is the first time you've really seen her, I've got to think she's making a good impression. This speech is plainspoken and hopeful -- she comes across as a wife who believes in her husband and his destiny. She's selling the hell out of her husband, and making them sound like ordinary people. What a classy reference to Hillary Clinton, too. This speech is connecting.

10. "To give her something he never had -- the affirming embrace of a father's love" -- Michelle on her husband cradling their newborn daughter. Oh boy, this is a marvelous speech. I think Michelle Obama has redefined herself in the public eye tonight. It' shard to see her after this as the Angry Black Woman With a Chip On Her Shoulder. She may well be that, but boy, sid she put on a hell of a show tonight. And those two little Obama girls joining their mom on stage -- what a beautiful picture. "I love you Daddy" -- marvelous political theater. After such a crappy night, the Dems have to be thankful to Michelle for pulling that off at the very end.

11. "You only have four nights. And you only have the American people's attention for a few monutes." -- Jeffrey Toobin on CNN, aghast that the Democrats never once mentioned George W. Bush, "the most unpopular president in American history."

12. Michelle irritated me by going on and on about how she left the corporate world for " public service." If you unpack this, you might end up where Steve Sailer did. Excerpt:

After a few years at Sidley Austin, she let her law license lapse and began working as go-between for Mayor Daley's Machine. She enjoyed the kind of vague but well-paid career made possible by affirmative action. The description on the candidate's website of what exactly she's been doing for the U. of Chicago Medical Center is eye-glazing but ultimately revealing: she's in the diversity racket.

"She also managed the business diversity program. Michelle has fostered the University of Chicago's relationship with the surrounding community and developed the diversity program, making them both integral parts of the Medical Center's mission."

With great power comes great rewards. A couple of months after her husband was sworn in as U.S. Senator, Michelle's salary at the Medical Center was raised from $121,910 to $316,962.

13. Charles Krauthammer on Fox just now made the correct point that people aren't sitting around analyzing the text of Michelle's speech; they're looking at the contours and the image. She made herself and her husband, who has an exotic American history, seem like the Cleavers, Krauthammer said -- and that was exactly what she needed to do. Agreed.