They Call It A Snoozefest.

It has come to this. The Media won't be satisfied with a political convention unless one party is snarling and sniping at the other. If each speaker doesn't attempt a character assassination of the members of the other party, the pundits start yawning. And, they do what they did last night. They simply don't show most of the speakers and videos, enjoying, instead, the sounds of their own voices.

I watched most of the opening night on C-Span so I could actually see what was going on. Nancy Pelosi made a very good opening speech. Former President Jimmy Carter made a few remarks and he and Mrs. Carter were warmly received by the crowd. Clair McCaskill was introduced by her son and two daughters, and her speech was upbeat and well-received. In the meantime, on the other channels, the pundits (gasbags, all) tried to outdo each other with their cynical, pithy comments about what was going on, although they weren't letting anyone see it.

For me, the highlight of the evening was Caroline Kennedy's introduction of a video featuring her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy. And then, there he was, Teddy, himself. And the crowd was thrilled. If you didn't know how ill he was, you could close your eyes and believe that there was nothing wrong, because his speech was as fiery as always, and as full of conviction. There weren't many dry eyes in that crowd.

Then, there was Michelle Obama's 6'6" brother, pride radiating from him, introducing his sister, Michelle. Michelle's speech was informative and conversational, and accomplished exactly what everyone wanted it to accomplish. It showed her as a concerned wife, mother and highly intelligent woman who wasn't anything like the scary, angry, militant woman that the Republicans try to make of her.

All in all, I think the evening was successful, even if there were no fireworks and not much Bush-McCain bashing. In fact, it was kind of a relief that we didn't have to listen to a lot of vitriol. That will probably start tonight. They can't afford, politically, to keep the gloves on. The voting public has come to expect and even like the nastiness, so there will probably be plenty of that.

But, it was nice while it lasted.