RNC: Best bench player?

A reader has pointed out that I didn't post any RNC video this week. Of course, he also went on about those mean, awful "anti-Palin blogs," by which he meant the entire news media ... so he wasn't exactly a disinterested source.

Still, even a stopped clock is right twice a day (provided it's analog). Here's the problem: I spent the whole week on Watch the Pilots and now I must cobble together a fall TV preview section. Hey, I wasn't the one who scheduled a convention during "90210" week!

So if this is going to happen, you're going to need to help me. Were there speeches this week that Wolf and Chris insisted on talking over that were actually pretty good? That means no A-listers, like Joe Lieberman, whose video was widely seen and heard in its entirely. In fact, it seemed every time I tuned in, CNN and MSNBC were joining Fox in their respectful silence while even B- and C-listers spoke. But I didn't have as much free time this week, so I may have missed something good.

It's been pointed out that there were many, many recapitulations of John McCain's war camp experience by the various RNC speakers, to the point where it threatened to replace Noun + Verb + 9/11 as the top Republican meme. I'm of two minds on that. On one hand, it was annoying to hear the same story told over and again,with the knowledge that the GOP was obviously using narrative as a proxy for for policy discussion. (Discussing things seems not to be this party's strong suit this year. I've got the reader mail to prove it.)

On the other hand, I still am moved every time I hear Merle singing "I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me," so let's grant that there are, in theory at least, ways to tell the old story and make it sound new.