The Buzz

• Despite the outside reaction to last night’s opening dialogue at the Democratic Convention, with many pundits calling the proceedings weak and too soft on McCain, the Dem crowd inside the Pepsi Center was fired up be the power-packed trio of Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama. Their speeches set the tone for the overwhelming effort to bring about party unity and convince the Hillary faction in Denver to quiet down and back Obama for the good of the party. The surprise appearance by Ted Kennedy especially made a mark on the delegates and Dem in attendance. His powerful - if laborious - comments about keeping “the dream” alive with Barack Obama at the head of the Democratic Party was a strong argument for the Clinton activists to put aside any lingering primary anger and coalesce behind the true nominee. But is that necessary theme of unification going to overshadow attempt to contrast McCain and Bush with the platform of Obama and the Dems?

• Frustration is sure to set in for the Obama camp as the Clintons prepare to take over the convention for the next two days. With Obama himself absent and the media going crazy with the Hillary supporters storyline, Hillary and Bill have hijacked the coverage and are even being pegged by some as saviors of the convention and of the Obama campaign. With the opening night relegated to image makeovers and soothing feelings inside the party, it will be up to the Clintons to use their speaking slots to not only convince her fan base to switch allegiances before November but also to hit hard against McCain and the Republicans as only those two can do. Red meat is being hoped for from the two speeches, and they’re being pegged as the cure to turn around what could be a Denver dud. Can Hillary step out of the way and start the turnaround for Obama tonight?

• But some Democrats on both sides of the party divide are still “seething” at perceived slights and insults from either the Clintons or the Obama campaign. Emotions are running high among the close advisers to each group and are only being stoked further by events in Denver. Some furor erupted as Bill Clinton expressed his displeasure with being given a speaking slot out of prime time and on a night dedicated to national security and foreign policy. No surprise that the former president is disgruntled with that decision from the Obama camp that takes him away from his favorite issue to talk about - the economy. When Obama himself responded that Bill could “talk about whatever he wants,” Clinton backers were even more enraged, viewing that off-the-cuff remark as disrespectful and threatening to create  convention floor distractions after Bill speaks on Wednesday. Publicly, all is well between the two camps. But even Obama supporters are now disgusted at not only the acrimony from the grass roots Hillary base, but also with the lukewarm support for Obama shown by Bill and Hillary. Their speeches are still, at their core, all about unification and convincing their backers to move on.

• Worries about the level of loud opposition to McCain and the Republicans coming out of the convention may be forcing the Obama campaign and the DNC to tweak the message of the remaining speakers the next three nights. While the storyline leading up to Denver was the need to redefine Obama as a safe choice for voters and someone with an All American family and patriotic values, initial concerns over the level of contrast with McCain and George Bush from the Dems is beginning to force movement within the campaign. Party insiders are promising “major” attacks on McCain’s credibility and efforts to link him to Bush  from nearly every speaker in prime time until the end of the convention. Some feel that what Michelle did last night and what Obama himself will drive home during his acceptance speech will be enough to soften the character image and answer the questions about Obama’s values.

• Too much POW card from McCain? While the GOP and the McCain campaign lash out at Obama over purportedly playing the race card in this election, McCain himself could be overplaying his hand by bringing out the “POW card” in unseemly ways during his run. Last night on Leno was yet another example of perhaps going too far with the familiar Vietnam War prisoner storyline for the GOP nominee. Instead of responding with disarming humor when jokingly queried about the recent house controversy engulfing him, JMac went all serious on poor Leno.  Was it too much?

“You know, could I just mention to you, Jay, and a moment of seriousness. I spent five and a half years in a prison cell, without-I didn’t have a house, I didn’t have a kitchen table, I didn’t have a table, I didn’t have a chair. And I spent those five and a half years, because-not because I wanted to get a house when I got out.

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