Yesterday, the Republican National Convention was convened and the evening activities suspended in deference to the threat posed by Hurricane Gustav to New Orleans. Today, with the worst of Gustav seemingly behind us, the convention went into full swing. The major guests of the evening included first lady Laura Bush, a remote appearance by President George H. W. Bush from Washington D.C., former candidate Fred Thompson, and on again off again Democrat Joe Lieberman.

Barack Obama’s campaign officials were publicly expecting between a 10 and 12 point bump coming out of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. These estimates are low, because of what is known as the “expectations game” in which you aim low and then blow everyone out of the water with how unbelievably awesome you are.

Today’s Rasmussen Poll puts Obama up three points over McCain.

Senator John McCain today announced his decision to nominate Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. Palin is a first term governor, a former mayor, and a mother of five (including one child with Down Syndrome and one in the military). She has a reputation as a strong fiscal conservative and a reformer. She also has a 90% approval rate in her home state, making her a very, very popular figure.

Making Governor Palin McCain’s Vice President pick is a gamble but it’s not an unreasonable gamble.

The fourth day of the Democratic National Convention was easily twice as good as the rest of the convention combined. Howard Dean was more boring than the DMV, but all of the other major speeches were, at the very least, energetic and well delivered. Even Al Gore’s performance was impressive and memorable, particularly the part about Abraham Lincoln.

This was what the DNC should have been for the last three days.

This convention is so unbelievably full of fail. I’m a wakko that eats, drinks, and sleeps politics. This? This is boring. At one point during Biden’s speech, the cameras cut over to a crowd reaction shot … and caught some guy on his cell phone.