Do Conventions Have a Point?

Well, they sure make you bleary-eyed.  It’s 8:30AM and I’m about to stagger downstairs to drive Peter Robinson and me to the airport in our rental car. (Note to Peter:  Don’t panic.  I’ll have a couple of more cups of coffee first.)  But when we first started our PJTV coverage what seems like months… actually four days… ago, David Frum gave us an interview in which he predicted the demise of the convention.

Say what?  We may not have learned much about political theory in the last few days but we had some of the most amazing political theatre I have ever seen on the part of Sarah Palin.  It was obvious from the start that McCain would never top that with his speech – and he didn’t.  The good thing for McCain is that he doesn’t need a speech to prove that he is qualified to be president – and let’s hope he doesn’t waste a lot of time making them during his administration, if he has one, and knuckles down to the job at hand.  Obama, equally obviously, definitely needs speeches to prove he is qualified.  That’s all he’s got.  Meanwhile, Palin apparently tops McCain and Obama in the polls.  If that lasts, we’re in for fascinating times.