Sen. Obama's Address: Minute by Minute

10:12 - He emerges with rather generic music. I mean really generic music. Who wrote that stuff? And these people are serious with these standing ovations. They got to President Clinton last night and they continue to drag on here.

10:16 - There's something about Sasha Obama. She sees everything with her youthful eyes and she has no clue about anything going on. She's surprised to hear her name and anyone in her family's name. How long will it take for the media to get too close to her?

10:18 - Could you really imagine that this guy would be the candidate four years ago? Yeah, he made a good speech but geez!

10:20 - It's interesting that Obama mentions New Orleans right here. Due to an impending hurricane, the Republican Party is mulling over postponing their convention. In this reference, Sen. Obama pits the Republicans in a damned if they do/damned if they don't scenario.

10:24 - Even when gone, Phil Gramm is an albatross around Sen. McCain's neck.

10:25 - Sen. Obama does the typical Democratic attack. Respectfully saying his opponent is wrong. He's not saying McCain is completely wrong, just really out of touch. The Democrats could be meaner.

10:26 - "You are on your own." This has been my problem with the Republican Party. While I do believe in the free market, we have to note we're a socialist-capitalist nation. It's a mix people forget.

10:27 - My friend Louis once said "politics is being able to go to the grocery store and take your kids to school." Obama echoes this statement here. America is the small things. It's the people who work everyday. The waitress living on tips, the steel workers, the self-made stories, the hard workers.

10:29 - Sen. Obama's life narrative is crucial to his campaign. While he solidly makes the retort of his elitism here, he needs to ensure this is said more often. He is the rags to riches story. Oliver Stone would have a field day with his biopic.

10:31 - If Obama can state the purpose of government so clearly, and these are ideals that we've always had, is he promoting change or reversion? Or is he saying his actions will reflect his rhetoric. We shall see.

10:33 - "Listen now..." The black vernacular just kicked in.

10:33 - His proclamation on oil had a Kennedyesque tone to it. But while it's good to here, it's no "we choose to go to the moon and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard."

10:36 - While Obama is promoting a variation on a new GI Bill it sounds an awful lot like Sen. Jim Webb beat him to it.

10:38 - Wasn't equal pay already legislated?

10:39 - Auditing the federal budget is a task that will certainly take more than his first 100 days in office.

10:40 - Did a Democrat just promote personal responsibility and family values?! Unheard of!

10:41 - "John McCain says he'll follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." Now that is a good line.

10:43 - This is a well written speech with plenty of soundbites. The delivery conveniently packages these soundbites. It's not made for buildup. It's not even made for call and response. But the speechwriters are clearly political minds.

10:46 - Obama is above the fray but he legitimizes being above the fray. What kind of nation is this when we have to legitimize and remind people that it's best to be above the fray? He really just said it's best to not cause dissension in America, but he ironically does this at one of the most partisan gatherings in the nation.

10:48 - For the first time in four days, I'm seeing someone actually pitch for the moderates instead of rallying the party. While Obama spends most the speech doing what is expected of him in the convention, he does what's unexpected here and tries to find a common ground for the other Americans who have differing views about abortion, gun control, immigration, and gay marriage. Good move.

10:50 - And now he's fighting Rovian campaign strategies.

10:52 - Did he just say he's best because he's fresh and actually sort of inexperienced?

10:55 - People were wondering if he'd invoke King. He did. He most certainly did. Funny thing is, he knows people know without him having to say. Obama is a candidate who doesn't always have to say things because he knows the media has said it ten times over.

10:57 - HOLY CRAP, A RETRACTABLE PODIUM! Oh, and what on earth is this song? And where are the balloons? I knew there'd be something wrong with having this speech in a stadium. No balloons, no confetti. Yeah, history was made and the speech was good, but where are the balloons?

10:58 - Nevermind, fireworks are much better than balloons.

10:59 - Ooh, and confetti and streamers. At'll do, pig. At'll do.