Wednesday night at the RNC

Blogging from Eagan, Minnesota.

It was a powerful night of speeches last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney did something at the Xcel Center he's not known for--giving an emotionally charged address. Here is a bit of what he said:

The right course is the one championed by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago, and by John McCain today. It is to rein in government spending and lower taxes, for taking a weed-whacker to excessive regulation and mandates, for putting a stop to tort windfalls, and to stand up to the Tyrannosaurus appetite of government unions.

And at Saddleback, after Barack Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical Islam is evil, and he will defeat it! Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, followed Romney, and attacked Obama's view of the world.

Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he's wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price.

After a few other speakers, it was time for the keynote address, which was delivered by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. After speaking about John McCain's character and accomplishments, he let loose on Obama:

On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature - where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present."

This is something former senator Fred Thompson mentioned the night before from the same podium.
More:

As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're President of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions.

A few years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.

He's never had to lead people in crisis.

But he was a community organizer.

The biggest event, giving perhaps the most anticipated convention speech in modern history, was when Alaska Governor Sarah Palin came to the stage to accept the Republican nomination for vice president. (Yes, I'm aware she was formally voted in after her speech, but we all know how the roll call vote was going to turn out.)

The Democrats have been mocking Palin's lack of experience. Funny thing, because Obama, as Giuliani explained earlier, has no executive experience. "None, nada" is what he phrased it.

Palin does, not just as governor, but as mayor of Wasilla. She said:

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.< br>
And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.
As Obama once did.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.

Click here for a "Best of" clip from Palin's speech.

A good night for the Republicans. John McCain formally accepts his party's nomination tonight from a rebuilt stage.

Tonight John McCain accepts his party's nomination for president on a rebuilt podium at the Xcel Center. I have no insider information, but I have a hunch were in for a surprise or two.
Technorati tags: Politics RNC St. Paul elections McCain Republican Alaska Sarah Palin