Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Hillary Clinton had two tasks last night.  First, to put to rest the "Democrats are divided" talking point of the RNC/McCain campaign that the stenographers in the McMedia have been repeating for months (they are shameless).  And second, to rally the troops and inspire them to win this election for Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton delivered, hitting a homerun out of the park!  It was a magnificent speech. The convention was electrified, and more importantly, unified.

Some of the major highlights from Hillary’s speech:

My friends, it is time to take back the country we love.

Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines.

This is a fight for the future. And it’s a fight we must win.

I haven’t spent the past 35 years in the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women’s rights at home and around the world … to see another Republican in the White House squander the promise of our country and the hopes of our people.

And you haven’t worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership.

No way. No how. No McCain.

Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our President.

Hillary then shamed and challenged the so-called PUMAs:

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

We need leaders once again who can tap into that special blend of American confidence and optimism that has enabled generations before us to meet our toughest challenges. Leaders who can help us show ourselves and the world that with our ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit, there are no limits to what is possible in America.

This won’t be easy. Progress never is. But it will be impossible if we don’t fight to put a Democrat in the White House.

Hillary then laid out the litany against John McCain:

Now, John McCain is my colleague and my friend.

He has served our country with honor and courage.

But we don’t need four more years … of the last eight years.

More economic stagnation …and less affordable health care.

More high gas prices …and less alternative energy.

More jobs getting shipped overseas …and fewer jobs created here.

More skyrocketing debt …home foreclosures …and mounting bills that are crushing our middle class families.

More war … less diplomacy.

More of a government where the privileged come first …and everyone else comes last.

John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it’s okay when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work.

With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.

Hillary finished big by putting this election into its proper context and perspective:

We are Americans. We’re not big on quitting.

But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president.

We don’t have a moment to lose or a vote to spare.

Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance.

I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come election day. And think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your life and on the life of our nation.

We’ve got to ensure that the choice we make in this election honors the sacrifices of all who came before us, and will fill the lives of our children with possibility and hope.

I just want to say "Thank you Hillary." 

For a transcript of Hillary’s speech Transcript: Hillary Clinton’s Prime-Time Speech

Watch the video (below the fold – for technical reasons)

Pat Cannady has discovered something: being a delegate from John McCain’s home state of Arizona has its advantages. "Everyone wants to talk to us! They say, ‘we hear you have a chance of going blue!’" Maybe that’s how she ended up watching the emotional speeches of Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama in prime seats, two … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: This billboard can be seen on the I-94 greeting motorists arriving from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, home to the Republican National Convention. (h/t B&C.com) Hopefully the manufacturer of this "Larry Craig Bobble-Foot Doll" promotion for the St. Paul Saints (minor league baseball team) from earlier this year had the foresight to produce … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Joe Sudbay at Americablog.com writes Dear Debra, You’re wrong. John McCain is vehemently anti-choice and said he will be a "pro-life President" Debra Bartoshevich is the star of a new John McCain ad. She’s a nurse and a former Clinton delegate who [says she] is voting for McCain. Yesterday, the RNC hauled … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: John McCain’s campaign says it hopes to appeal to Hillary Clinton supporters.  Here is a helpful reminder of how McCain really feels about Hillary and her supporters from earlier this year.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The opening night of the Democratic National Convention belonged to Michelle Obama.  It was her opportunity to introduce herself to the American people.

As Chris Brown noted at Chris Brown’s Blog:

"There’s been an incessant attempt by Republicans and conservatives to portray Michelle Obama as an angry black radical. Their disparaging remarks and grotesque commentary have become legendary among their rank-and-file.

If you were uninformed, then you’d likely be susceptible to their hatred and lies. Fortunately, most people reject this stuff.

But the media has remained complicit in openly accepting the character assassination of Michelle Obama.

The media narrative from the talking heads preceding Michelle’s speech simply parroted the GOP/McCain talking points (they are shameless). They pontificated that Michelle would have to dispel the negative caricature that Republicans and conservatives have painted of her.  (Rather than being critical of the Swift Boat smear attacks on Michelle from the Republicans).

For any American with any sense of common decency and humanity, I think Michelle Obama succeeded in presenting an impressive picture of her great American story.  Michelle comes from a family of Midwestern middle class values. The story of her father who struggled with MS before he died was moving.  Michelle’s personal history of hard work, dedication and sacrifice to succeed both in school and at work, and to give back to her community was inspiring.  It brought tears to the eyes of women in the audience in recognition of how far women have come and succeeded in this world. This is the promise of the American dream: if you work hard and apply yourself, anything is possible.  It was obvious that Michelle is a good wife and mother who loves her family very much.  Her daughters Sasha and Malia stole the show at the end.

As one commentator said, the girls "put the cherry on top of the Sunday."

For a transcript of the speech Transcript: Michelle Obama’s Convention Speech

Watch the video (below the fold – for technical reasons).

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Here is John McCain, in his own words, proving that John McCain and George W. Bush are one and the McSame.