Obama's party off to good start

Inter Lake editorial

The Democratic National Convention was an inspiring spectacle, culminating in the historic nomination of Barack Obama as the country's first black presidential candidate.

The convention had a string of speakers who rose to the occasion. Former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton delivered widely applauded speeches. Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden brought his A-game. Despite illness, Sen. Ted Kennedy gave an emotional speech, passing the mantle of liberalism to a new generation.

And importantly, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer gave a rousing speech on energy, elevating his own political profile as well as the profile of the state.

Being the gifted speaker that he is, Obama did not disappoint the party faithful with his acceptance speech Thursday night. He waxed eloquent about his party's hopes and dreams, and threw in a few digs at his opponent as well.

Whether the Democrats did what was necessary to propel Obama to victory remains to be seen. Did they convey the right message, make the right points?

The theme of the convention, and the Obama campaign, has been framed to seek "change" - to deliver the country from eight years of leadership under President George W. Bush.

Signs at the convention, and nearly all of the speakers on stage, referred to the need to avoid "four more years" of Bush-style leadership that would allegedly come with John McCain as president.

But did they successfully link McCain to Bush in the minds of average Americans? And more importantly, are the Democrats on-target in putting so much stock in Bush, who is not on the ballot?

There is no question that the Democrats are energized, judging from the thundering crowds attending convention events.

But McCain deftly stole some of the thunder on Friday with his announced pick of a woman - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin - as his vice presidential running mate. With the Republican convention running through this week, he may end up stealing the race's momentum as well.

Wait and see, but don't be surprised if we don't know who the winner is until Election Day. The battle will be heated, the stakes are enormous, the country is divided. May the best man win.