Kerry's speech last night

   He played to his strength, which is his no-nonsense attitude.  I mean, of course he had the nonsense that politicians spout in their speeches, but surprisingly little of it.  After it ended, my boyfriend, who hadn't really had a chance to hear Kerry speak at length, like most of the country, said that he really appreciated not being spoken down to, not being bombarded with sentimental crap.  Kerry spoke to the audience like they were adults who would appreciate what he had to offer.  The little shout-out thing at the end didn't work--that's not Kerry's strength. 
   I love that he defended his wife.  Real men don't need sniveling cowards for wives to look like real men.  I love that he addressed their children as "ours"--that reflects the real family values in America today, a willingness to take on stepchildren as your own.  These are going to be things that the right wing attacks Kerry on--that his wife isn't mealy-mouthed, that their marriage, which is like more marriages nowadays than not, is weird somehow.  I hope people don't buy that crap. 
   He stayed on message about his service record. If anything is going to bring voters over, that will be it.  He didn't shy away from the xenophobic slurs that are thrown at him, instead reminding people that a President who can deal with foreign countries dipolomatically is a plus, not a minus.  I don't think there's that many who would truly disagree with that.  Overall, a great speech.

   Did anyone else see the great takedown "The Daily Show" did on the racist media response to Al Sharpton's speech?  Hilarious.