The speeches and spectacle of last night’s opening session of the Democratic National Convention in Denver were moving, to be sure, even for the hardest of political hearts.  Senator Edward Kennedy’s presence, courage and words brought grown men and women to tears, and as a human interest story was as compelling as any you might know. Like him or not,  it was a testament to his toughness that he traveled the distance for what may prove to be, perhaps, his final national convention, and his final significant minutes on the prime time national stage.

Michelle Obama’s moment and audition as our possible first lady weren’t as moving, and her daughters upstaged her at the end, frankly.  She spoke too fast, even when delivering the speech’s best lines, and there were some very good lines in it that should have been more measured.

We’ll look for the speech’s post mortems down the road,  and hopefully will find out from whose pen those words came – - as a former speech writer I always like to know the person’s name.  Admittedly, Senator Kennedy’s turn at the podium was a hard presence to follow.

In the second night of the convention we have Senator Hillary Clinton to anticipate, and the schedule has her being introduced by her daughter, Chelsea.  It’s not likely to have the “moment” that was Kennedy’s last night, who was introduced by his niece, Caroline, except among what are now being called the “PUMAs” (party unity my ass), disgruntled former Clinton supporters who think she got shafted by Obama in both the outcome and in the way she was “dissed” in the running mate process.  Hooting and hollering will occur, of course, but it will be as Shakespeare wrote:  ” . . . full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”  Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5.

Noticeably absent from the Denver festivities among recent past presidential candidates is former Senator John Edwards, brought down by sins of the flesh.  Another column was devoted to that little pickle, and the sins that time forgives and we forget, and Edwards fell the way of so many others who came before him.  Like those others, though, he’s likely to rise again after his due penance of banishment from the tribe.

What is disturbing about that matter, though, is the wrath that has been heaped upon his wife, Elizabeth Edwards.  She was in the know as far back as 2006 when he confessed to her, it seems, and she is now catching holy hell from many quarters for remaining silent about it.  This is a woman who is facing incurable cancer, a woman who, with her husband, had to endure the unending agony that is the loss of one’s child, and yet she is now having to further endure the abuse of others for wanting to keep a private matter between husband and wife (his confession) private.

Apparently, when one submits oneself to public scrutiny, the public begins to believe it can pass judgment on personal matters and private pains.  The assclowns who presume to pass that judgment on Mrs. Edwards for keeping her husband’s confession to herself are very public in their condemnation, and deem Mrs. Edwards’ decision to do so as unacceptable. It is a strange world we live in when the injured party is heaped upon with scorn like that.

The balloons are still three nights away, and yet the Democratic convention has offered us pathos along with its politics, and even thrown in some bellicose behavior and the public stoning of at least one victim.  Seems fitting as the party of the ordinary folk that it includes a little bit of everything.