Oh what a night...late August back in '08

I'm back home, but I'm still reeling from Denver. I made it in yesterday afternoon along with a flight full of Democrats coming back from the convention, along with the reporting staff from the Star and Kevin Rader from WTHR.

As for Thursday night...man what a night. The staging, the hype, the security, the celebrities...I could go on and on. But man, that speech. The Obama campaign set the bar majorly high when it moved Thursday night's acceptance speech to Invesco Field. But man, did Obama deliver or what? Emotions were high as we all listened to every word, standing and applauding every other sentence. Sen. Chuck Schumer was weeping in front of me, along with half the crowd. We all knew that we were going to be a part of history by being there, but I couldn't have fathomed how great the speech Obama was going to give.

My two favorite lines against McCain:

You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives.

and

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.

Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?

I don't know about you, but I am not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.

That last line, about taking a 10 percent chance on change, is priceless. Sorry lady's, this might sound a bit sexist, but it was a manly speech. It was time to be tough and take on McCain, and Obama delivered.

My favorite part of his speech overall was towards the end, when it seemed like he was comforting skeptics and pulling in those disaffected by government. Obama said:

But this, too, is part of America's promise, the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer, and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values.

And that's to be expected, because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.

If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things.

And you know what? It's worked before, because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping and settle for what you already know.

I get it.

The entire speech can be read here.

Thursday night and this whole week will go down as one of the most exciting times in my life.