With reports depicting a convention marked by a certain malaise and uncertainty, yesterday's speakers ensured the sleep-walk would last no longer.
In particular, former 2004 Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry and Obama's Vice Presidential choice Joe Biden each delivered strong speeches, railing against the current administration and the Republican Party as a whole. Where the previous days of the convention saw polite cheers, last night's speakers whipped the crowd into frenzy.
John Kerry, freed from the concerns that allowed his 2004 campaign to become 'soft', pulled no punches in his passionate renunciation of everything Bush. 'Never in modern history has an administration squandered American power so recklessly. Never has strategy been so replaced by ideology. Never has extremism so crowded out common sense and fundamental American values," he said.
"Never has short-term partisan politics so depleted the strength of America's bipartisan foreign policy. George Bush and John McCain at his side promised to spread freedom, but they delivered the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. They misread the threat and misled the country."
But the night belonged to Bill, looking as Presidential as ever, biting his lip thoughtfully and emphasising his points by way of repeated finger jabs. The picture he painted last night presented a stark opposite to the one seen in 2007 and early 2008. Throughout Hillary's campaign, Bill's often erratic, self-destructive behaviour was seen as a large negative, more like a ticking time bomb than a potential boon.
Image: John Kerry makes his mark at the convention.
Also read: When Hillary stole the show
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