Feiler Faster

In WALKING THE BIBLE, he's still sitting there forever, behind a cloud of smoke, saying, "People like me don't have time to talk to people like you," then calling me at home that night to introduce me to Avner. Now, nearing 100, he has finally passed.

Avraham Biran, an archaeologist of biblical sites who excavated Tel Dan, an ancient city along Israel's northern border, and uncovered an unexpected stone fragment bearing what might be the earliest reference to the House of David, died on Sept. 16 in Jerusalem. He was 98.

Dr. Biran's death was confirmed by a spokesman from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem, where Dr. Biran directed the institute's school of biblical archaeology.

In 1993, after nearly three decades of digging at Dan, which is on the Syrian border and near the headwaters of the Jordan River, Dr. Biran and his colleagues discovered a foot-long piece of stone with a partial inscription in Early Aramaic.

The archaeologists were able to decipher text on what was possibly a monument to commemorate victory in battle by a king of Aram over Israel. The inscription -- which contained the words House of David -- was dated to the ninth century B.C. and was hailed by biblical scholars as a unique find and evidence of the antiquity of King David's lineage. Some scholars, however, have questioned the interpretation of the discovery and even the existence of King David.

Dr. Biran attributed the find to good luck and said that in archaeological fieldwork, "it's all chance, whatever you do." Indeed, the earthen mound of Dan, or Tel Dan, was chosen almost by chance. In 1966, Dr. Biran rushed to the scene when Israel's military tensions with Syria were on the rise and the 50-acre mound was in danger of being shelled or covered by fortifications. He persuaded the Israeli Army to let him excavate Dan's southern slope and found signs of human habitation dating from the fifth millennium B.C.

To say that my life was profoundly changed by nearly every encounter I had with this great mean is to understate his significance to me and to so many others. I never met anyone who didn't do a slight bow at the mention of his name. The State of Israel has lost another pioneer, and biblical studies one of its last and greatest defenders.

The last of my brother's blogs.

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I was on the floor the other day and came across a man of about forty who wore on his left breast what looked like a military medal. A small ribbon pinned to his chest with a medallion hanging from it. It was the credential that his grandfather wore at the 1960 Democratic Convention. Whatever this movement may come to be called, Camelot is in the air. At the stand in the Convention Hall, there were four flavors of Obama buttons. Obama alone, Obama-Biden, Obama and Dr. King, Obama and JFK.

Such have been the expectations for this evening. Rhetoric has been much praised and much maligned this election season, but I believe rhetoric can be powerful and important. Its capacity to link emotion and change can be a force for good or ill. And in either direction, the tone set by President of the United States speaks volumes all by itself across this country and across the world. As someone who appreciates good rhetoric, I would say going into this evening that of the best dozen speeches I've ever heard, at leave several have been given by Barack Obama in 2008 alone.

Which brings us to Invesco Field. The lines to get in started early and snaked across the landscape for often over a mile. It reminded me of the images of people lined up at Altamont to see the Rolling Stones. And inside... diversity, passion, history. Within a few seats of me in all directions was a picture of American diversity that would have made Norman Rockwell proud. Amongst the most poignant... a woman of about thirty, two seats away her husband, and between them in a cradle their months old baby.

When was the last time we had a political leader capable of drawing the passions of over 80,000 citizens? I would argue that it was forty years ago, and both of them died that year. Obama's speech was, I felt, perfect. As always, his rhetoric is a joy to listen to, but the content was critically important as well and therein was the perfection. When Obama delivered his historic speech on race back in the winter, Jon Stewart, struck by depth and reason of his argument, commented that Obama was "treating us like adults." That same sense struck me last night. It was sweeping in scope, impressive in logic and deeply substantive. And structurally, he did what he needed to do. Obama told his story, spelled out the case against McCain, and offered the type of detail for his own program that indeed is the basis for mandate should we be victorious.

But the essence of the night was the history in the air. There was a gravitas to the moment that was impossible not to feel, a power magnified by the collective, passionate cry for change inherent in the unified voice of all that were there. It was a deeply moving experience. It was an extraordinary honor to be there. It ranks among the great experiences of my life.

I've been reminded several times this week of an interview I heard a few months back. It was with a man whose mother had been on the frontlines of the women's rights movement back in the 60s. He, his siblings, their kids kept asking his mother who she was going to vote for in the primaries, and uncharacteristically she wouldn't answer. So on election night he asked her who she had voted for. All her life, she said, she'd been wanting to vote for a woman for president. It was, to her, the ultimate expression of her life's work. But as she saw how excited her children and her grandchildren were about Barack Obama, "Well," she said, "I decided I had to vote for their future and not for my past."

That story particularly came back when my friend Jo reported that her 94 year old mother has decided that she's only lived this long so she can vote for Barack Obama. After that, it's all up for grabs.

On a different note, my friend Cindy reports that her "almost five" year old wanted to know whether Obama has a hard time breathing while he is "running" for president.

Other tidbits... the Alabama delegation has t-shirts... Obama Y'all. Love that! And spell check on my Blackberry keeps wanting to change Obama to oboe. Change we don't believe in!

It's been my honor this week to a part of history, a special moment in history, and it's been a privilege to share this with you. It's been my hope to enliven and enrich for you the experience of this one large step in this enormously important election. I believe what is literally at stake is the restoration of our nation's most basic values.

John Lewis is part of the Georgia delegation and spoke movingly this morning over breakfast. Today is the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. There were ten speakers that day. John Lewis was sixth, Dr. King tenth. Congressman Lewis is the last of these men standing. "What we saw last night," said Lewis, "was the down payment on the fulfillment of the dream. Now we must march again. We must march in every village, town and hamlet. We must march again on the ballot box. We must march to save this piece of real estate we call America."

So where do we go from here? There are 18 targeted states in this election. In Georgia, the Obama campaign has 56 offices and 175 organizers. If you want to help, call the Georgia Democratic Party in Atlanta and ask about getting connected to this effort. If you're in a different state, call your state party or call the party in a swing state not your own and see what you can do to help.

There are sixty eight days left until this election, and we're not going to win unless we get enough people registered, to the polls and voting for Barack Obama. Former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus joined us for breakfast this morning, and as he eloquently put it, "Sixty eight days is not very long to work for our children, for a brighter future and for a better America."

My brother's dailiy blog from inside the hall.

President Carter addressed the Georgia delegation this morning. Recently, he said, he'd been interviewed by the editor of the British newspaper "The Guardian" and had been asked whether a President Obama could change America's reputation in the world in his first 100 days in office. Replied Carter, "He can change America's reputation in his first ten minutes in office." The editor was incredulous., but Carter went on to explain. A President Obama, he said, could in his inaugural address, moments after being sworn in, renounce American involvement in torture, commit American to leading on environmental issues, renounce wars of choice and not of necessity, and promise that America wouldn't pass further tax laws designed to benefit only the top one percent of our citizens.

After this litany, President Carter asked the editor how long it had taken to articulate this list. Replied the editor, "Two minutes."

The structure of the Convention came into full view tonight. The first night was about introducing Michelle Obama, the second about Hillary and unity, the third about clearly laying out who John McCain really is and what Barack Obama stands for in contrast. Thursday night will be for Barack to reiterate all of these messages, layout his plan for America and his vision for us all.

In reflecting on Hillary's speech the night before, the heart of it to me was how presidential it felt. She simply had a gravitas, depth, presence that none of the other even national figures preceding her on the podium that evening could muster. It was a reminder of why she has come so far and why so many do and will continue to look up to her.

I continue to get asked about the state of party unity. President Carter raised the issue this morning. Carter declared himself an expert on party disunity, and went on to explain that it was the split between the Ford and Reagan Republican factions in 1976 that created the opening that helped him win the presidency, and it was the split between the Carter and Kennedy camps four years later that contributed to his loss. This party this time, he declared, was clearly unified.

I agree. While CNN might be able to drag out a few random curmudgeons from amidst the crowd here, Hillary's supporters will continue to hold her in high esteem but they are clearly committed to the higher cause of change.

The one real responsibility of the delegates is to cast their ballot for the nomination. All delegates and alternates had to be in their seats today by 3:30, half an hour after the opening gavel. Delegates' names are printed in a list on a sheet of paper with columns for the candidates and for signatures. The delegates find their name, cast their vote and sign their name.

As you'll recall, the super delegates are uncommitted and can vote for whomever they choose. The remaining delegates are committed to their candidate based on the results of the primary, but they are committed for only the first ballot. Should we have had a contested convention, the delegates would be free after the first ballot to vote their conscience. As things unfolded, there was a midday gathering today of all the Hillary delegates at which we she addressed the group and "released" them to vote as they saw fit. For those into the arcane world of party politics, this was an important step in the cause of unity.

After the roll call and the official steps of nominating both Obama and Biden, the next round of speeches began. One of the odd things about a convention is that there is always someone speaking on the podium; there isn't always anyone paying attention! During major speeches the house is quiet, the volume is up and crowd is engaged. But for most of the hours everyone on the floor is talking, the volume on the podium mike is down and the crowd couldn't pay attention if they wanted. One person asked what I thought of Deval Patrick's speech. Short answer: I couldn't hear it!

But tonight was special. The charge for the night was to layout the difference between McCain the myth and McCain the reality, and to put to rest the myths about Barack Obama and to bolster the reality. It will be up to Obama to complete these tasks Thursday evening, but unlike the past two conventions the candidate will be building on a strong foundation.

I felt that Bill Clinton's speech was the finest of the night. It was classic Bill Clinton... clear, clever with a beautifully crafted argument expressed with passion and conviction. We got tonight a reminder of Bill Clinton at his finest.

Clinton was followed by John Kerry, who gave the most amazing speech of his career. Passionate, forceful, combative. There was no way to avoid the feeling that if had been like that throughout the fall campaign of 2004 then he'd be president today.

And finally Joe Biden. The speech was extraordinary for it's tone. We associate these types of speeches with stirring rhetoric, rising voices and flowing gestures. By contrast, Biden's demeanor was almost conversation. In a firm but calm voice, he told his story, laid out his indictment of Bush and McCain but did it in a tone that made you feel like you were sitting with him in your living room or sharing a beer at a bar. It was really unusual - particularly if you're familiar with Biden's capacity for bombast -- but I thought it was incredibly effective.

Emotionally highlights... Kerry pointing out Obama's great uncle, who fought in World War II, in the box next to Michelle,. And Obama's appearance on the floor after Biden. Onto the big night and Obama's swing for the fences!

My brother's latest blog. He's the official photographer of the Georgia Delegation.

Considering I described myself yesterday as a pop culture moron, the funniest response I've gotten so far was, "Who's Angela Bassett?"

In the wake of opening night there's been a lot of play about Carville and company complaining about lack of "red meat". I've been clear that I believe that's indeed been missing in past conventions and that clear messages for Obama and against McCain are one of the things I'm most looking for this time 'round, but I actually feel that Monday night was played well. Very little is known of Michelle Obama by the average voter, frankly both the decideds and the undecideds. I think it was important to introduce her to the country and to begin the process of helping a lot of folks get comfortable with her as prospective First Lady. That was their primary mission last night, and I think her performance was stellar. Besides that, casting the prospective First Lady as attack-dog-in-chief would be pretty dumb all by itself!

If you look closely at the Convention floor, you'll see some things that illuminate the battle to come. First of all, the delegations are seated on both the floor of the hall and in the first level of seats coming up toward the skybox level. A "Floor" credential is required to get into these areas. Above the skybox level, the next layers are reserved for "Special Guests", "Honored Guests" and "(Lowly) Guests" with "Hall" credentials. Look at which states are on the physical floor of the hall. Up front you have Illinois and Delaware for obvious reasons as well as Colorado which is there primarily as host. Then you have Virginia, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. If you want to know which states are considered the core swing states this election season, just look. And by the way, New York is on the floor too, a clear sign of the quest for unity and a nod to HRC.

Another thing to look at... this campaign is astoundingly disciplined when it comes to its graphics. From the outset, they picked colors (white and navy), fonts (sorry, geeky enough to notice but not to be able to name them), and a logo (one I've always thought was well done) and they've relentlessly stuck to these. Everything in the hall is within this graphic spec. The pole signs for the states, the names behind the podium identifying the speaker, the signs handed out to shake and stir at key moments in each speech. It's a detail, but still this level of discipline is impressive. And to add a point of exclamation on this... the anti-McCain and pro-Hillary signs on the floor tonight... not in the Obama fonts or colors!

In the hours before primetime each night, one of the main shows is the side show: funny hats, clever buttons, creative signs. Among the signs seen today... "Trust Teachers Not Test Scores", "Iraqi Americans for Obama", and "Another Bi-racial, Asian American, Bisexual, Jewish, Buddhist, Feminist for Obama"! Along with these there is an astounding array of hand written signs all using the Obama "O" logo in the appropriate places in "Ohio", "Colorado", "Aloha". See commentary above!

With all of this going on, the ultimate expression of Dem-mania is the clever, creative and over-the-top headwear and the ultimate expression of flashy fashion is Georgia's own Maxine Goldstein from Milledgeville. This is Maxine's eleventh convention and each year she builds a masterpiece of intricate design, rich humor and pointed politics. One of her creative wonders is in the Smithsonian and renowned photographer Eddie Adams once took her portrait for a documentary he shot one year at the conventions of both parties. This year Maxine has created quite a stir... she's been interviewed by every roving journalist in the hall including live on CNN. Her creation this year is topped with a complete bathroom scene created out of paper and doll furniture and its front piece cries out, "Don't let America's economy go down the drain!"

Many of you have told me that you're forwarding these posts around. I've attached here, and will do so going forward, the posts from prior days for anyone coming late to the string. Some of the best responses I've gotten are from folks who have said how much their mothers are enjoying all of this! The movement is indeed broader than those who text message. As for my own mother, she pointed out that there were a lot of typos. Of course she's right (she is, after all, my mother), but it is well after midnight out here!

The latest entry from my brother's convention blog.

Since American presidential elections are often described as horse races, it seems appropriate to say, "And they're off!"

The Convention was gaveled open today at 3:00 Mountain Time. Given that it didn't adjourn until 9:00, you might wonder what fills all that time. The answer explains why the television coverage keeps shrinking. The clear focus is primetime in the East... thus the marquee content from 7:00 - 9:00 Denver time. Before the real show comes on, there's some business (report of the platform committee, appointment of convention officers), some entertainment (from live musical artists to political videos) and lots of speeches by various folks ranging from some state's attorney general to not so randomly selected average American. One memorable moment though came when Senator Tom Harkin opened his speech in sign language with the sign language interpreter providing the voice translation. Another came from a teacher who evacuated New Orleans during both Katrina and Rita and has since returned to help rebuild. A piece of 2x4 from her rebuilding efforts and signed by Barack Obama proudly sits on her coffee table. Still, I bet even C-SPAN is wondering if "gavel to gavel" coverage is such a good idea!

Wonk spotting has already become passé. After the xth Senator (Weyden, Stabenow, Cantwell, Casey), the nth media personality (Jeff Greenfield, Wolf Blitzer, James Carvel, Dan Rather.... hmmm, what's he doing here?), and the xth other random politicos (Barney Frank, Ed Rendell, Jimmy Carter)... well, it is a political convention! As for real celebs... frankly being the pop culture moron that I am I probably wouldn't recognize many of them anyway, but I did notice that Angela Bassett was sitting two rows in front of me.

Before all the proceedings started inside the hall, I was at a lunch at which Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois said something interesting. Noting that Senator Obama's key note address from 2004 helped launch him on this "improbably journey", Durbin said that he heard the speech in the hall but didn't realize the impact that it had until after he'd left the hall. Interestingly, I remember having the same experience. I too was in the hall in '04 and while it struck me as a good speech, it didn't register as the amazing piece of oratory that it was quickly considered by so many. Stuck by the crescendo of reaction, I watched the speech again over the web on a convention site that had a camera fixed on the podium at all times. While this time I saw some of the magic I had missed, it was about a month later when I was at a function where the CNN feed of the same speech was shown. This feed was a totally different experience. It included cuts of audience reaction interspersed into Obama's presentation, it captured the "dance" between speaker and audience in a way that highlighted the power of both the content and the delivery. It really was quite amazing!

Which brings me to tonight's primetime ticket. Having Ted Kennedy muster the stamina and courage to appear amidst his battle with cancer was clearly an emotional high point in the hall. After Caroline's terrific introduction, the moment Teddy walked out was powerful. The lion in winter. After that, I'm not sure why primetime was wasted on Claire McCaskill, but from where I sat Michelle Obama's speech was amazing. A powerful story of living your values, the values of family, community and commitment. And next to her husband, I though her delivery was one of the most impressive I've seen in a long time and conveyed strength, warmth and sincerity. I'll be very interested to see how it played outside the hall.

After walking out of the Pepsi Center tonight, I looked up and the lights of Invesco field - where Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday night - all of the lights were pointing straight up forming a huge and dramatic beacon far up into the sky. It was immediately a striking reminder of the two beams of light that so beautifully and sadly marked the World Trade Center towers soon after their horrible fall. It reminded me anew of the wounds that have not healed and how the real path forward, one of in keeping with America's finest values, has yet to begin. But it was with these emotions in mind, and clearly in the context of this amazing movement to restore America, that as I continued to marvel at the light I saw in it as well a beacon of hope.

I'm tied up in a family matter these days and unable to blog as much as I would like, but my brother is the official photographer with the Georgia Delegation at the Democratic National Convention. I'm pleased to post here...

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