I watched a few more speeches and wasn't too impressed. Yet another of the things that has made political conventions boring is the idea that everyone must stay "on message" and hew to the current campaign strategy. Apart from the personal references, 90% of the speakers up there could have given each others' speeches…and in some ways, did. Wesley Clark's, which drew raves from some bloggers, didn't impress me at all. It occurs to me that the Democrats trotting out all these military guys is a lot like the Republicans strategically placing minority delegates to counter the party image.
Leno had Michael Moore on last night for one of the least-interesting interviews either of them has ever done. I did laugh out loud when Moore said that if he wins an Oscar for Fahrenheit 9/11, he's not going to make a controversial acceptance speech. He said, "I'll just thank my wardrobe people and sit down." Other than that, there was nothing quotable. Leno was playing it too down-the-middle and Moore was trying too hard not to come across as a bomb-hurler.
I don't have a feel for who I think is going to win this election. I still think it's going to turn on events that have not yet occurred, issues that have not yet been raised. About all I'm sure of is that it's going to get a lot dirtier and that by November, people on all sides are going to think that the future of mankind hinges on the victory of Their Guy. And they'll have an increasingly difficult time convincing themselves that he's as good as they want him to be.