Live blogging Obama's acceptance speech

Obama's just about to get started, and I have goosebumps. If I live another 60 years, God willing, this really will be a night to remember.

My first thought after Obama walked out - this guy is politically courageous, without question. It takes a great deal of moxie to decided to fill a stadium full of 75,000 people. Anyway, here we go. ...

An early favorite Obama quotation: "We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight."

Excellent decision by Obama to mention McCain's inexcusable voting record, where he has sided with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time. "I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change," said Obama, after blasting McCain for thinking Bush has been correct 90 percent of the time. Brilliant.

A fist-pump (no, not a fist bump, Fox News, although what's wrong with that?) moment was when he tore into McCain for being associated with the thoroughly detestable Phil Gramm, the former Texas U.S. Senator who was one of the chief architects of McCain's economic policy. Gramm very publicly (and stupidly) called the recession we are in a "mental recession" and then had the temerity to call American a "nation of whiners."

Obama's mentioning and paying appropriate homage to President Clinton (actually, both Clintons) - certainly not a bad idea, especially considering the 23 million jobs that were created during his presidency.

I just heard Obama say for the second time, "I am my brother's keeper." What a concept - one that was lost on America back in the 1980s, with the advent of Reaganomics, and the greedy, selfish, survival of the fittest economic mentality.

I'm very happy to hear Obama mention that he'll cut taxes for over 90 percent of Americans. Next week, McCain will no doubt try to scare the living shit out of as many Americans as possible with tales of tax hikes for everyone.

I'm encouraged to hear Obama pay appropriate attention to America's energy problems - how Congress and Washington has "been talking about our addiction to foreign oil for 30 years." And, by the way, "McCain has been in Washington for 26 of them." A nice touch - painting his relative inexperience as an asset, not a liability, because that's exactly what it is. However, what about our infrastructure and mass transit? Still missing from Obama's campaign platform. Maybe the Amtrak-riding Biden will help him right that wrong.

10:39 - I love it that Obama just mentioned that repugnant bankruptcy law, which never should have been passed in the first place. An Obama administration will no doubt right that wrong in year one.

10:41 - Corporate tax loopholes - YES! It's about time someone not just talk about closing them, but actually do it. Put that one in the Clip & Save file.

10:42: "If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have!" That's just the right tone - not too over the top, but combative enough to let Americans know he means business.

10:43: Easily the highlight of his speech so far is talking about foreign policy and terrorism - the corporate media-generated McCain stronghold (which is a myth and a joke). My favorite: "John McCain has said he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." Take that, McSame.

10:45: Each and every tax-paying American should be outraged, and I do mean OUTRAGED, that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus, while we are swimming in red ink and debt. I can't wait to hear McCain defend that one.

Obama is clearly not going to sit back and wait for McCain to come to him - he's taking him on regarding foreign policy. "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. Don't tell me we can't keep this country safe." Excellent, and another "it's about time."

10:47: "Patriotism has no party..." what a concept. Okay, THIS is his best line thus far. Funny, it's always Republicans and conservatives I hear questioning people's patriotism over political disagreements, not Democrats. This is an excellent word choice by Obama, who it was publicized earlier tonight wrote this speech himself. Impressive indeed.

10:50: I'm very pleased to hear Obama mention "our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters." If you're gay and you vote for McCain, kindly leave the planet, PLEASE.

10:54: "What the naysayers never understand is that this election is not about ME - it's about YOU." He's taking shots at Karl Rove's playbook, which hopefully will be on the political trash heap by November 5, but I'm not holding my breath. But I'm happy Obama's going on the offensive here.

~~~
Well, it's all over, and I came away very impressed (obviously) - it was an extraordinary performance. The critics said he couldn't do it - that he's nothing but a good talker, but he went out and kicked two legs out from under the platform of that argument.

I've been pretty derisive and harshly critical of the media coverage this week (and with good reason). However, MSNBC's Chris Matthews is doing everything but putting on an Obama campaign button. (And I'm not complaining.) Matthews is summing up his favorite lines from the speech thusly [this is Matthews talking]...

You take your opponent's best shot, and you throw it back at him. "Are we a nation of WHINERS?!?"

"If this is an ownership society, YOU OWN YOUR OWN FAILURES!"

"Was my upbringing a celebrity upbringing?!?"

And how dare you say this election is a test of patriotism, when we are all in this together? It was a great way of throwing back the other side's best shot, and saying it's full of crap! [Emphasis all by Chris Matthews]

As Olbermann pointed out, "there was no stone left unturned here," noting there were 29 specific policy proposals, and 19 different instances where Obama pointed out the inadequacies of the McCain campaign.

Next week will be a very interesting one in our political world. With the backdrop of Tropical Storm and soon-to-be Hurricane Gustav getting ready to enter the Gulf of Mexico, it gives Obama a chance to highlight Republican ineptitude in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And of course, McCentury is having his Republican Convention, and tomorrow we get to find out who his running mate is. (Please, let it be Rudy 9iu1ian1, but I don't think even McCain could be that stupid.)

I'm not rooting for Gustav to hit the US to upstage the GOP Convention, to be sure, but another impending natural disaster raises plenty of questions about the competency of the openly anti-government GOP's ability to run a government that it's so determined to undermine, at least socially.

And, of course, when powerful hurricanes hit, it also raises important questions about global warming, which are certain to be raised again this coming week.

More to follow soon, including a recap of this past week - the good, the bad and the ugly (and there was plenty ugly about the Democratic Convention, most notably the coverage).