Words &c.

Foregoing my traditional Friday evening television (note to Cheriti - I'll show up earlier next week to catch up on whatever I missed), I attended the Obama rally at the Convention Center tonight. Considering I'll actually be getting to vote this time around, I figured it a good idea to attend what might be my favored candidate's only appearance in Our Fine City.

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Arrived at rally about 7:55 to find a line covering half the circumference of the Convention Center. It moved relatively quickly, and we were inside within half an hour.

Obama volunteers are, oddly, all very attractive people. Do handsome candidates attract handsome campaign workers? Does it work vice-versa? If so, Fred Thompson's campaign must be staffed by morlocks.

The line for an Obama rally is the last place you need to be walking around with signs reading "Stay Out of Iran".

The only crank sign wavers are some 9/11 Inside Job people with a big banner and a gaggle of Ron Paul supporters. The only directly anti-Obama protester is what appears to be a scruffy Confederate soldier (with the appropriate hat) and a cardboard sign reading "B.O. YOU STINK".

Preprogram music is inspirational folk-rock, a bit of hip-hop near the end, and then the eardrum-busting Self Improvement soul choir singing the National Anthem.

I'm finding these old boots are hard on the heels to stand in. I was naïve and foolish to think I'd be sitting down.

Tony McPeak (self described 'retired military guy') gave the opening remarks. "Unlike in the 2004 election, when we were voting against something, this year we have something we can vote for." Summarized our desires in a Commander in Chief with a gun metaphor.

Obama: "First of all, this is not the Justin Timberlake concert. I do not sing, or dance. Well, I dance a little."

Obama, even from a few hundred meters away, is a truly engaging speaker. Of course, anyone who knows English these days is more engaging than Bush, but Obama is especially capable.

He uses the word 'fundamentally' about half a dozen times in the speech, but only during the first third.

He admits to being a hope-monger.

I nearly clapped the skin off my hands when he mentioned affordable college degrees.

The speech ended with a story about his trip to a tiny South Carolina town that served as an anecdote for the inspirational power of one voice. I actually found the rest of the speech to be more engaging and inspiring than this final bit.

Afterwards, I spent a good while looking at the people who attended the rally. There was one fellow (apparently the antithesis of B.O. guy) with a Union infantry cap and "God Was My Copilot (but then we crashed and I had to eat him)" shirt. There was an attractive young lady with the Bros Before Hoes shirt, which thoroughly made my day.

Present at the rally was the best Get Out the Vote campaign yet: all the volunteers had shirts reading VOTE, F★CKER.

And you'd better, fucker.