Zell Miller and Cheney

Zell Miller is a kook. I must say, his speech was very fiery and may turn some voters in the favor of his Republican party. (Miller saying he's a Democrat is idiotic and shows what a wack-job he really is.) HIs speech was laced with plenty of vitriol, but not much substance. Attacking Kerry on his voting record and for being "soft" in the military (the "spitball" line comes to mind) is simplistic and will work on simpletons and people who don't understand the nuances of politics. (For example, the reason Kerry voted against the additional $87 billion for the war is he wasn't going to give Bush another blank check; it's not because he didn't support the troops, idiot.) But the speech was effective and will likely be good for the Republicans. Again, sound bites and rhetoric will always defeat analysis, because people are too goddamn lazy to read anything and want a quick Cliff's Note to follow.

Watching Miller get into a fight with Chris Matthews on "Hardball" should prove what a nutcase he is. And Chris Matthews kept his cool about him. The thing I like about Matthews is that -- although he never lets anyone finish a sentence -- he plays perfect devil's advocate to both sides. And he tries the best he can to cut through all the bullshit.

Cheney is not a good speaker. He paused too much for applause. But his speech turned strong toward the end. For the first time I can see why people would be drawn to voting for Bush. It would be a huge mistake, of course, but I can see why.

This has been a very effective convention for the Grand Ol' Party. 9/11 has divided this country down the middle like nothing in history, ironically enough ... or atleast the fallout from it has.