I have to say, I've been fretting a little over the choice of Boston. I mean, first they pick a guy from Boston, despite what happened to Dukakis. While I think Kerry would make a great president, I probably would have gone with a southerner like Clark or Edwards. But whatever. Next, they pick Boston as the site of the convention. Not to disparage the fine city of Boston, but we've got that base covered. Why not someplace in the Midwest? Why not a swing-state city like St. Louis? Are we trying to reinforce the Republican myth that progressive values are for Northeastern "elitists"? True, Boston is the birthplace of the country, but given the widespread apathy for history that marks our culture, I doubt many will even make the connection.

And finally, while Repubs are featuring big-gun media darlings like Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani at their convention, we're featuring... Teddy Kennedy and Jimmy Carter? I suppose Ron Reagan is a nice touch. He had an incisive quote in an NPR interview I heard yesterday. Terry Gross asked him what he would ask George W. Bush if he had five minutes with him. Reagan said he'd ask Bush whether he thought the 15,000 or so innocent Muslim civilians killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were going to heaven. Ouch!

Maybe the convention will prove me wrong and be full of pleasant surprises. We'll see.