Tuesday night was incredible. The election of Barack Obama as our president demonstrates to the entire world that the idea that any American can grow up to be President is true. Who could have dreamed such an improbable scenario. President-elect Obama faces many difficult challenges in his first term, but he has inspired so many people all over the world already with his message of hope and change that his election alone is cause for celebration. Our country has faced cultural divisions for 40 years from the clashes of the 60s over Vietnam and civil rights. Maybe now we can start to move on. Those divisions have been exploited by some to divide us and to push an agenda which is driven by hate and fear. Finally we have a leader who may be able to heal those divisions and move our country forward. I can't think of one area of policy which isn't going to improve when Barack Obama takes office in January.
Thanks to everyone who chose this campaign to get involved and to try to make our country a better place. It sounds like the effort to win an electoral vote in the Second District may pay off. Even if it doesn't, the Obama campaign has helped to energize the Nebraska Democratic Party. We already have made our plans to go to the inauguration. It should be extraordinary.

Are you kidding me? The idea that this person is qualified to be president is laughable. The thinking that Hillary supporters would support someone this unqualified, who is also extremely conservative on social issues, just because she is female, shows that John McCain really doesn't get it. It is offensive to women who supported Hillary to suggest such a thing. Do you think Hillary's supporters will react positively to those film clips of her firing an automatic weapon? If John McCain wants to gift wrap the election for us, that's fine, will take it. I would like to know how such a proponent of family values plans to take care of a four month old and four other kids while she travels the country making 6 speeches a day. Of course I don't know how she can take care of her family and be governor either, even for such a small state as Alaska. And don't tell me I'm being sexist, because her husband isn't a stay at home dad, so who is raising those kids, especially the baby? Don't tell me about her extensive executive experience either. She has only been governor for 20 months, and we are talking about Alaska, not California. Before that she was mayor of a town of 9,000 people. Think about similar towns in Nebraska. That isn't even a full time job. She only has a bachelor's degree. She has no foreign policy experience. She is already facing a scandal over firing someone who wouldn't fire a man her sister was divorcing. McCain's big claim was that he has the necessary experience and Barack doesn't. Now we are supposed to trust his judgment that this woman he met one time can take over at a moment's notice, when McCain is 72 and has had 4 or 5 bouts with cancer, along with numerous other health problems. How much time do you think Ms. Palin has spent thinking about trade issues with China, Russia occupying South Ossetia, how to solve the health care crisis, or the economy? She makes Dan Quayle look qualified. She is only a few years removed from her only community involvement being PTO. I'm glad she took on corrupt Republicans, but if America wants a president and vice-president to do that, they should vote for Obama and Biden. This pick shows how the social conservatives have way too much power in the Republican Party. This woman is more qualified than Tom Ridge, Mitt Romney, Joe Lieberman, Charlie Crist, or even Tim Pawlenty to be president? Is McCain saying that none of those men could help clean up Republican corruption? McCain did accomplish one thing. People didn't talk much about the fact that yesterday was his birthday. He is now 72, and is about to become the oldest nominee of a major party ever. I told you he is a risky choice. Combine his age, his health, his judgment, his record, and his propensity for rash and reckless decisions, and it is obvious that this guy shouldn't be anywhere near the Oval Office. We can't afford four more years of Bush, and who knows what we would get when Palin takes over. I'm sure she will be ready to deal with Putin or help resolve the the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence.

The Republican convention will be fun to watch as Republicans try to find ways to say Palin is a good choice, get Bush and Cheney off and on the stage quickly on Labor Day, and then compete with media coverage as another hurricane bears down on Louisiana. I just hope that Bush's failure to quickly improve the levees after Katrina so that they could withstand a similar storm won't prove fatal to several people. Bush's neglect of infrastructure is one more reason to consider him the worst president ever.

We can't afford four more years. Vote for Obama and Biden.

Your special correspondent.

The last day of the convention was really something. The Nebraska delegation had our usual breakfast meeting. Most of the delegates then went to a brunch hosted by Union Pacific on their railroad cars. The timing had to be moved up because the start time of the convention kept moving up. Walking in charming old railroad cars reminded me of many old movies. The dining car had a dome on the upper level. We had a very nice time at that event.

After that, my wife, my daughter, and I walked over to MSNBC's broadcast center. It was set up outside, so viewers can watch it. We watched interviews with Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Chris Ciilzza from he Washington, and fromer Senator Gary Hart.

We then headed to Invesco Field. The lines to get in were incredibly long. I was selected to sit in the third row. I had obtained credentials earlier in the day. I was selected to sit in a fenced off area close to the stage. My seat was in the third row. When I got there, I saw that the name on the seat next to mine was Janet Banks. Janet was quite shocked when I told her she was also going to get to sit up in the front. We were the only Nebraskans selected to get inside this area close the stage. We were quite excited. Lisa Olivares was selected later to sit in that area too.

The musical guests were very good. Yonder Mountain String Band opened the day. John Legend and will.i.am did a live version of the song they did on You Tube, Yes We Can. It was powerful and moving.

Sheryl Crow sounded great. Her set was fun.

Stevie Wonder and Michael McDonald also performed. Stevie's song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" has been an Obama campaign theme song. Getting to hear it live was thrilling. McDonald did a great, soulful version of America the Beautiful. The music was sprinkled throughout the day.

The campaign asked everyone to text the Obama campaign. What a great way to collect 85,000 cell phone numbers. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that 85,000 people were there. What an unbelievable crowd.

There were lots of good speeches again. Governor Bill Richardson did a great job. Al Gore was outstanding. Joe Biden was great again. Janet Banks and I couldn't believe that we were seated so close to the stage. I got to meet or at least photograph Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

I also got to talk to Michelle Obama:

Of course all of this was just a prelude to Barack Obama's speech. There had been so much anticipation. Once again Senator Obama came through.

His speech had soaring rhetoric, lots of detail of his policies, contrast with Senator McCain's positions, and it definitely had parts which were guaranteed to pump up the crowd. Barack Obama made it clear that he is the candidate who has the best judgment, he is the candidate who can bring people together to solve the major problems facing our country, he is the candidate to get our economy back on track, and he is the candidate to get our troops out of Iraq and improve our relations with the rest of the world. To have all of this in a speech by the first African-American nominee of a major political party on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech before the biggest crowd ever for a political convention was off the charts for excitement.

John McCain has offered an agenda which is similar to the failed Bush Administration, offers no relief for the middle class, no imagination in dealing with our energy crisis, only cheap applause lines, a desire to keep troops in Iraq indefinitely even though Iraq and the Bush Administration have endorsed a timetable for withdrawal which is similar to Senator Obama's proposal. McCain admits that he doesn't know much about economics. I am concerned that at his age, with the numerous health problems he has had, makes his fitness to be president a real question. McCain keeps getting confused. He has needed help from Joe Lieberman when discussing Iraq more than once. He admits he knows nothing about economics, and of course, he doesn't know how many houses he owns. What better example is there of someone who is out of touch with the middle class and seems to be showing signs of deterioration from aging. The risky choice isn't Obama, a brilliant person who has shown wise judgment, but who hasn't been in Washington for decades, but McCain, who is slipping, and hasn't always shown good judgment in the past. McCain has supported George Bush 90% of the time. What kind of judgment is that? Both parties can point to presidents who are icons in their parties like Reagan and Roosevelt who lacked Washington experience when they became president.

Obama is the candidate who can bring people together move us into the future. If you want to go into the future with hope and real answers to the challenges facing our nation, it is clear that you should support Barack Obama. If you want the same old politics of fear and a candidate who is unable to adjust to the challenges facing our nation, then McCain is your man. This is the opportunity to not only change the gridlock in Washington, but to involve a new generation in public service. We must seize this moment and elect Barack Obama.

This has been a wonderful week capped off by one of the most exciting days of my life. I have enjoyed bringing you inside the convention. You can feel good knowing that the Nebraska Democratic Party offers a diverse group of people who are committed to making life better for Nebraskans. As I was leaving the floor tonight I saw another correspondent from the Daily Show, Jon Oliver. That moment was a reminder that this was fun along with doing important work in helping to shape the future of our country.

One more thing. My choice to lead this country is Obama-Biden, but the winning ticket this fall in Nebraska is Obama-Pelini.

Your special correspondent

Last night some of the members of the Nebraska delegation attended a fundraiser for Scott Kleeb. Ted Sorenson was the guest. The word is that it went very well, and helped Scott raise a lot of money.

This morning at our delegation breakfast we had a guest speaker, Congressman Tim Walz from Minnesota. Tim is from Nebraska. He took a seat that Republicans had held for a long time. He was great. I wish he represented us. Tim Walz represents southern Minnesota and used to be a history teacher in Mankato.

Tim's wife is also a teacher. She went to Gustavus Adolphus, so it was fun for my daughter to meet them since she goes there now. Ben Nelson spoke to the delegation. Frank Lamere, a great Nebraska Democrat who is also very involved in Native American issues let us know that the documentary on Whiteclay will be at the Ross theater soon.

The delegation went to a luncheon at the Chophouse. This time together getting to know each other will really help us to work together this fall to elect Democrats. Some members of the delegation would like to see Senator Steve Lathrop run for governor in two years, while others think he should run for mayor of Omaha, next year. He appears to be considering both options.

Everyone went early to the convention today because the roll call vote for the nominee for President was one of the first things we did. It was exciting and an honor to cast a vote for Barack Obama to be the nominee. I have dreamed of fulfilling this role for 40 years.

The moment Barack Obama went over the top was thrilling. It is gratifying to have played a role in helping the first person of color to become the nominee, particularly because it is someone as inspirational as Senator Obama. Kim Robak and I especially celebrated this later because we got involved early in 2007 in this quest. We are helping to change America.

There were some great speeches tonight. The media kept talking about the Clintons trying to undermine Senator Obama. That is not the feeling here. Everyone here is united in rallying behind Barack Obama and getting him elected. Hillary gave a great speech last night, and Bill Clinton gave a great speech tonight.

He explained well why electing McCain would continue the failed policies of the Bush Administration. There is no question that the Clintons are completely behind Barack Obama.

John Kerry also gave a great speech. There were several speeches by veterans, including Tammy Duckworth, a double amputee who served in Iraq. There was also a very moving film by Steven Spielberg about our service men and women. The Bush Administration unnecessarily placed them in harms way in Iraq, and then failed to adequately care for them when they returned home. We can do better. McCain promises more of the same.

Joe Biden's son spoke very movingly about his father and, and then Joe Biden really made the case for why we need to move in a new direction. Only Senator Obama can change this country's direction. McCain would give us more of the same failed policies of the Bush Administration.

Barack Obama surprised everyone when he appeared tonight to congratulate Joe Biden. It is rare for the nominee to appear before the final night. The place went crazy. Tomorrow will be spectacular.

I got into the CNN Grill again. I got to talk politics with Paul Begala. Several of the Daily Show correspondents pretended to crash the beer garden at the CNN Grill. I was able to get a picture of them:

There was also a late night reception for several Midwest delegations. Some of us rode a shuttle back to the hotel with members of the Minnesota delegation. There was such a warm feeling on the shuttle. Suddenly several of us, almost all strangers, started singing classic Motown and R&B songs. What a great way to end the night.

Good luck to the Spartans tomorrow night against Millard South. Also good luck to the East tennis team as they begin the defense of their state title, and good luck to Max and the JV team.

Your special correspondent

Today was another great day. The guest speaker at our delegation breakfast was Ted Sorenson. Ted is a native of Lincoln who is best known as John Kennedy's speech writer. He is always inspirational.

Ted was an early supporter of Barack Obama, and he talked about how you only get a candidate who can really change things and inspire people once in a lifetime, and how fortunate he is to have known two such people, John Kennedy and Barack Obama. Later in the day Ted Sorenson also addressed the convention. It was great to see someone from Nebraska, especially someone who has contributed so much to our country get recognized. Once again, Ted gave an inspirational speech.

The Nebraska delegation was taken to lunch at a wonderful place called the Broker. It is great getting to spend time and really getting to know the other members of the delegation. Ben Nelson was able to join us. It was nice to see him(Mom, Ben says hi.).

There is a buzz amongst the delegates that Senator Steve Lathrop is considering a run for governor in two years. He has already shown an ability to bring people together and solve problems. Those skills would serve him well as governor.

The delegation scattered after lunch. Some delegates had meetings. Some delegates went to a screening of a powerful documentary about Whiteclay. It is embarrassing that the leaders of our state cannot solve this terrible problem. I went to the convention early to make sure that I got to hear Ted Sorenson address the delegates.

There were some very good speeches tonight. Dennis Kucinich was on fire challenging America to wake up to the failed policies of the Bush Administration. I thought that Governor Strickland of Ohio, Senator Casey of Pennsylvania, and Governor Schweitzer of Montana were particularly good. The theme of the night was the economy. We cannot afford four more years of the Bush economy, and that is what we would get with McCain.

Governor Schweitzer explained why Barack Obama is the candidate to best help us to become energy independent and to develop clean energy alternatives. McCain voted 25 times against renewable energy. McCain wants more of the same. That is not the answer to our energy problems. Taking money from oil lobbyists and then proposing tax breaks for those countries is not what we need. We can't drill our way out of this problem. What a phony and cynical strategy. Schweitzer explained the necessity of weaning ourselves from being dependent on petro-dictators.

The keynote speaker was Mark Warner, who is likely to be elected to the Senate from Virginia. He talked about the things we need to do to help businesses thrive and create jobs in America. Warner expained in a thoughtful way why Barack Obama would be superior to John McCain in redirecting and improving our economy.

One of the fun things about coming to a convention is getting to see so many famous people. Last night Jimmy Carter was sitting across the aisle from our delegation. Tonight people like Congressman John Lewis from Georgia, an historic figure from the civil rights movement, and Congressman Wexler from Florida kept passing by us in the aisle all night long.

I was able to speak with Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver from Kansas City. He is a Methodist minister who flies back from D.C. to preach at his church every Sunday. He built a small congregation into a large one which is a real force for good in a troubled neighborhood. I heard him preach two years ago. He is an inspirational figure whose deeds demonstrate his faith every day.

Of course the highlight tonight was the speech by Hillary Clinton. There was so much talk about how strongly she would support Senator Obama. I thought she gave the best speech of her career. Her delivery has never been better.

Senator Clinton made it clear that she strongly supports Barack Obama. She explained very emphatically why electing John McCain would be a disaster because it would just be four more years of Bush policies. We can't afford four more years of such a terrible economy. We can't afford to go four more years with 47 million people who have no health insurance. There is too much stake in this election. Her speech reinforces my feeling that all of the Democratic Party will come together this fall.

After the convention ended, I was able to get into the CNN Grill. CNN has building outside the Pepsi Center where they have set up their operation and can entertain people. I got to talk politics with John King and meet the guys who started YouTube. It was very fun. I wonder if John McCain has heard of You Tube. He said he was only learning how to get online a month ago. How can someone lead the most powerful country in the world and understand the issues, opportunities, and challenges of technology if they know nothing about it. Of course we have had a president for eight years who doesn't believe in science and talks about the Internets, so why change? It is going so well. Bush, McCain, what's the difference? McCain voted for Bush's policies 95% of the time last year.

Tomorrow is a huge day. We nominate Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton and Joe Biden speak.

I need to give a shout out to the hardest working attorneys in America, including my trial assistant/understudy, and to our support staff in the Public Defender's Office. I also need to say hi to Margaret, Nick, and Max. Wish you were here.

Your special correspondent