A Few Observations on Last Night's Convention

• As a conservative, I had to love last night's lineup. Al Gore. Jimmy Carter. Names synonomous with "loser" in American politics. If only they'd brought Dukakis in, they'd have hit the trifecta.

• This is a convention that has put Al Sharpton out in front. Among the speakers today are Tom Daschle, Howard Dean, Tuh-RAY-zuh Heinz Kerry, Ted Kennedy, and Carol Moseley-Braun. It just can't get any better. I'm actually praying for high ratings. People need to see this.

• I can only hope that they'll continue to focus on national security. Jimmy Carter standing at the podium touting his party on national security is worth more than every dollar spent on Bush campaign ads this year. Oh yeah, national security. Let's see, this is the guy who practically put the Ayatollah Khomeini in power in Iran, then rolled over when Islamic militants seized our embassy and took hostages. (The captors practically admitted years later that they would have given the whole thing up in hours had the U.S. threatened a forceful response. We didn't.) Carter also micromanaged the disasterous rescue raid, criticized Americans' "inordinate fear of Communism," and ushered in a communist government in Nicaragua that led to the deaths of 40,000 people in the civil war there. Please, please, please, let's make this election about national security.

• "Today, our dominant international challenge is to restore the greatness of America," Carter said. Ah yes, remember how Carter restored America's greatness? The international prestige we enjoyed during his term?

• The Democrat Party's foreign policy is essentially "If we're nice to them, maybe they won't try to kill us." That's worked real well up to this point. Last night, Al Gore said, "I firmly believe America needs new leadership that will make us stronger at home and respected in the world." Gore and Bill Clinton spent eight years making us "respected in the world." They swore fealty to the U.N., engaged in nation building, and sent U.S. troops into dozens of "humanitarian crises." And what did all that supposed international goodwill and respect buy us? 9/11.

• John Kerry will not win. I'm now convinced of it. Why? Because his party is not excited about him. Dems spent most of last night apologizing for him. "No, he's not exciting, but do you want exciting, or do you want good leadership?" they were saying. That's not going to get the job done. Yes, they hate Bush. They're quite outspoken about it. But hatred of the incumbant without excitement for the alternative has never elected a president. Nor will it this year.