Day 1 of the convention: missed opportunity

Day 1 of the Democratic National Conventions was mostly a snore.  Opening nights are usually exciting affairs with a theme, and a flow, and a distinct message.

I didn't see much of that Monday night. The biggest topic all day seemed to be whether or not there was a rift between Obama and Hillary Clinton.  Michelle Obama gave an effective speech, and certainly began the process of trying to win over some of the Hillary voters, and there was a poignant moment with Teddy Kennedy, but little else beyond that.   Everyone was expecting fireworks, but outside a few moments here and there it was missing.

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign was playing mischief maker all day -- releasing new campaign ads, putting surrogates all over the talk cable shows, and making a little news with the announcement that Cindy McCain was heading to Georgia.  McCain even popped up on the Tonight Show, and did a good job at jabbing Obama while keeping it light.  The opposition party usually lies low during convention week, but the McCain camp is maintaining its aggressive posture -- one that has proven to be extremely effective the past few weeks.

The convention is clearly off to a slow start. Ironically, Barack Obama now needs both Hillary and Bill Clinton to deliver stemwinders over the next two nights to excite the base and connect with swing voters.