Notes from the Convention Floor: Obama, Dodd

The bottom line is this: if Iraq is the only issue in 2008, and it's extremely likely that it will be, then Barack Obama will win the nomination. He is unassailable on the issue, and his rhetoric on it is pitch-perfect. Even though I've seen the "greatest hits" version of his stump speech a couple times before, the Iraq stuff was new, and it was powerful. I agree with hekebelos that "This (election) isn't about the 'same old politics.' We can change the way Washington works, but for hell's sake, this isn't just about how Washington works. It's about reversing evil ideologies."

I was curious to see how the whole Obama idea of "a new kind of politics" would play in a political convention. But people loved it. There is a certain cynicism with the system, and anyone willing to call it out is going to be appreciated. I agree that most of the examples he gives about the smallness of politics are essentially the platform of the Republican Party. He should not be afraid to be a proud Democrat that talks about the change that the party can bring.

But then there are these quotes, which I absolutely loved:

"People who love their country can change it."

"Change always happens from the bottom up."

Obama passed the test for this convention, and his stance on Iraq will serve him well. If there was a straw poll, I think he'd win.

(Confidentially, the presence of John Edwards is embarrassingly low at this event. He's dropping the ball)

Chris Dodd is a nice man, and he thundered in his speech. The media shut off their cameras and moved on. Kinda lame. He gives a good speech, and he is authoritative on talking about foreign policy and domestic issues. I liked the part about him explaining why he joined the Peace Corps, "Because my President told me to."

More in a bit