The Lion's Den ...
... although ... not exactly.
A couple of points that need to be made about the Republican National Convention. Why on earth does it begin on Labor Day -- the holiday in honor of the working man and woman? Why on earth does it begin on the last holiday weekend of the Summer. The summer ender? The chance for families to get together one last time before the rigours of the fall? Family Values anyone? There's just a little bit of a paradox there, no?
And second. Gustav is the best thing that could possibly have happened to the RNC. The Best thing. Don't tell me that this has nothing to do with politics, that their concern for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is what is propelling them to cancel all political business today, and maybe even tomorrow. Watch McCain's stilted press announcement yesterday, his desperate effort to show that he cares combined with his inability to read a studio teleprompter and you will realise that the last thing the Republicans want is to have their convention held up and compared to last week's slam dunk of a convention held by the democrats, to have their candidate's acceptance speech compared to that of Barack Obama. Hell there is talk right now of keeping McCain away from the convention entirely. Having him appear via live video uplink from an undisclosed location ... on the Gulf Coast, because he cares so deeply about the people there. Please.
They are looking for any excuse to avoid the comparisons. 85,000 people. 20,000 people. A speech that soars and demands and is full of hope and promise. A speech that is none of those things. A Television audience of 40 million people, (a bigger audience than that of the Olympics Opening Ceremony and American Idol (even I am amazed by that one). A TV Audience that is not even close.
Yes. McCain and his boys and girls would like Gustav to keep on blowing so that their paltry convention doesn't give the Democrats a chance to blow them right out of the water.
9/5/08: cor did I ever get that wrong. McCain's acceptance Speech beat out Barack Obama's acceptance speech on the tv machine (although the numbers who watched on the web / PBS are yet to come but still... impressive. What the bloody hell does that mean?!