Friday Morning quarterbacking

By now, I feel like I’m finally getting into my convention covering rituals. Get up, read some emails, try to relax a little bit, plan out the day, maybe write a blog entry, then head over to get my press credentials, etc.

Now, the convention is over. I could head over to the Copley Place anyway. There will be delegations checking out and probably some really interesting stories. However, I want to check out as well, and get home to my family.

The whole story of wanting to complete a task and get home ones family is actually a pretty compelling story. In my email this morning are some comments by Britt Blaser about his experiences in Vietnam.

Britt was a C-130 pilot in Vietnam, and now identifies himself as a serial entrepreneur. I got to know Britt a bit over the past couple years as we both explored ways of using technology and social networks in political campaigns.

Britt’s comments about Vietnam are very powerful, and I urge everyone to go out and read them here. It is a brilliant piece, talking about how beautiful the country of Vietnam was if you could see past the fighting and politics. He comments on the convention with:

This is an interesting dilemma for the aggressive Christians of the right. Every patriot and amateur soldier subscribes to and celebrates the adage that "there are no atheists in foxholes." Combat service softens their skepticism of Kerry's occasional reference to God. People who recommend war for others' children but who don't, like, actually participate, can't claim that particular connection to the Almighty. The specific reality of Viet Nam in the spring of 1968 is probably not on the tip of your mind, but it's burned into mine.

When you have a few minutes, do yourself a favor and read the rest of the article. As I read it, I thought about Iraq. Up in the Blogger’s Roost, I was standing next to Natasha from Pacific Views. Natasha went out and spoke with members of Donkeys in the Dessert, the Iraqi chapter of Democrats Abroad. Like Britt, she has written a wonderful piece that you should find a few minutes to sit down and savor.

As I start to pack up, I think about the person I walked home from the T the other night with. During the convention, he volunteered to escort around some of the honored veterans that had come in for the show. We talked about his experiences in Vietnam and he had high praise for Kerry. We talked about how not every well heeled lieutenant was well liked by the people under his command and how impressed with all the people from Kerry’s boat coming into Boston. It was that walk home with a South Boston resident that leads me to think of Kerry as the winner of the Beer Primary.

So, Kerry is now the nominee. The campaign is in full swing, and based on the reactions I’m hearing, Kerry did incredibly well. It will be an exciting fall

Posted by Aldon Hynes at July 30, 2004 8:35 AM | TrackBack