10 buses carrying Gustav evacuees arrive in Texarkana

Hundreds of evacuees arrived in Texarkana late this afternoon at the Southwest Center. They were given meals before being sent to different shelters throughout the city. A triage was also set up for those with medical needs. Here are a few pictures:

Texarkana's 2,330 hotel rooms booked for Gustav evacuees

As Gustav hits the open gulf and bears down on Louisiana, residents from southern Louisiana are beginning to arrive in Texarkana and elsewhere in the Ark-La-Tex. We're headed back to town now to help. Several agencies and organizations are preparing in conjunction for the influx of people, including emergency management and Red Cross officials. The Texarkana Command Post will be at the Southwest Center, and if you're interested in volunteering, please call (870) 773-8811.

Saturday

Not much going on here in Pike County. Listened to the Hogs get by in a squeaker over hamburgers on the other end of the lake. We have a couple of events to attend in the district tomorrow, and plus, Gustav evacuees will begin arriving in town.

Elsewhere arond the state, the White River Days are taking place at Bull Shoals, and county fairs are on in Madison, Crawford, and Randolph counties. Good to see ASU walk into Collie Station and take one from the Aggies in their first game as the Red Wolves.

The post-convention bump

Obama is getting an expected post-convention bump in the Gallup daily, but I've gotta hand it to the McCain camp for their precision of timing on the Palin announcement. It completely buried what was the most compelling political event I've ever seen in person. This is starting to get fun. The Republican convention will begin Monday in Minneapolis, and you can follow the Arkansas perspective on Jason Tolbert's blog.

Homeward Bound - Thanks to all

By Rep. Robbie Wills

Sitting in the Denver Airport waiting for the plane trip home, feeling very thankful for this experience.

I'm thankful for my good friend Steve Harrelson for not only letting me contribute to the blog this week, but also for putting up with me as a roommate and fellow traveler. It was an honor to be your cub reporter.

I'm thankful for my traveling companions this week: Steve, Robin Carroll, Bob Edwards, Brandon Robinson, Jamie Darling, Krystal Thrailkill, Maggie Compton, Craig Stone and Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox. Thanks for sharing the expense of a rental van and for all the laughs. My side hurts.

I'm thankful for the wonderful staff of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. I am in awe of each of you for your professionalism and leadership. You are each very special to all of us and we are all very proud of you.

I'm thankful for all the delegates from Arkansas: from Gov. Beebe, Rebecca Gwatney, Dustin McDaniel through all the Clinton and Obama pledged delegates, this delegation handled a difficult week with class and honor. I've never been more proud to be an Arkansas Democrat.

I'm thankful for a great ticket, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who made a believer out of me this week.

Most of all I'm thankful to be going home to my wonderful wife Dana and our 6 year old daughter Rylee. They are the reason I do my best to serve the public in an honorable way. They make it all worth while and I can't wait to be home!

This was a great experience all the way around and I'm so glad I was able to be here. Thank you for reading. If I can ever be of srvice to any of you, please don't hesitate to contact me: rwills@cyberback.com, (501) 730-4677. See you soon!

Convention headlines/slideshow

We're Arkansas bound. Here are pictures from the week, in no particular order:

Denver Post: Obama makes history, vows change
New York Times: Obama Takes Aim at Bush and McCain
Wall Street Journal: Obama Frames '08 Campaign As Vote on Economy, Bush
Washington Post: 'It's Time for Us to Change America'
Los Angeles Times: A moment she thought might never come
Houston Chronicle: Obama tries to shed elitist tag
Chicago Tribune: Did he clinch the deal?
Reuters: Obama vows to reverse Republican legacy

Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Keep up efforts, Beebe urges state delegates
Ark. News Bureau: Delegates face difficult task upon return home
Ark. News Bureau: Obama's sister visits Arkansas delegation
Texarkana Gazette: Local delegates say spirits high in Denver

Thursday Night Scenes

By Rep. Robbie Wills

What a day. After a quick lunch, we parked about a half mile from the stadium and walked toward the stadium. Cresting the last hill before the stadium, we were faced with the longest line I think I've ever seen. The picture at right doesn't really do it justice. The line snaked through the parking lots around the stadium for at least a mile. Most folks lined up waiting to enter were very courteous, others ...not so much. It took three hours to get through the security checkpoints. I'm not kidding: there were about 10 magnetometers through which tens of thousands of people passed. One wag in line noted that FEMA must be in charge of security.


Once inside, the "community credential" I had wasn't much help as the section in which I was to sit was completely full. Thanks to a last minute "Hall Pass," I was able to get up to the blogger's lounge in the press box with Steve. I relieved him so he could go downstairs and grab a bit to eat. Then, I made it over to another area where several folks from Arkansas were watching and saw the speech from the perspective at left. We had a great view of the jumbotron and could see Sen. Obama from the right and slightly behind. We could also see part of the backstage area and were once again impressed with the coordination that goes into putting on a convention like this. All I can say about the speech is this: Barack Obama met every one of the high expectations set out in advance of this night. I've reread the text and watched it again on the CSPAN replay and it just confirms my initial judgment during the event itself: this was a truly great speech.

Finally after the convention closed, I couldn't wait to get out of the stadium. However, the one and only exit from the section I was in was blocked by Oprah Winfrey (left), who thought it would be cool to have her picture made with just about everyone who was within forty feet of her. Between her, her fans and her bodyguards, we were bottled up for at least 15 minutes. But, as I know some of you wanted more pictures of celebrities so...here ya go. The day started at 6:00 a.m., the time at the stadium was roughly 2:30 to 11:00 p.m. and we are just now getting back to the hotel. It's been great, but I know I speak for the entire Arkansas delegation when I say "get me back to Arkansas!" I can't wait to sleep in my own bed. For that matter, I can't wait to sleep.

84,000 watch Obama accept nomination live

Great crowd. When Bill Kristol says he exceeded expectations, it must've been a good speech. I'm headed over to the Democratic Governors' suite to hear some other observations.

The stage is set

A pretty high bar has been set for Sen. Obama's acceptance speech. He's up in a few minutes now. Great introductory video.

One theme that has been evident throughout the convention is the line just spoken: "patriotism has no party -- we all put our country first." Impressive speech. Impressive convention.




Born in the USA

Looks like a capacity crowd now.

View from up top: UPDATE

I have folks e-mailing in pictures from around the stadium. Here's one from Amanda Boulden in the 5th deck:



Here's another of Amanda with fellow YD Hope Brookins. Several Young Democrats are here in Denver helping the DPA staff with logistics, etc.

Speaking of DPA staff, they've done a great job with the convention. With everything they've been through this month, this has been very difficult for them, and they've handled everything perfectly.

Update (6:40 p.m. Mountain): Here's Al Gore entering the stage:

Inside at last

By Rep. Robbie Wills

Robbie here. Three hours after one of the longest, most convoluted lines I've ever gone through and I'm finally in the blogger's lounge. This is something else. I'll post pictures later....

Excerpts from Sen. Obama's remarks tonight

Here are a few passages from Sen. Obama's remarks as prepared later this evening:

“This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

“That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.

“Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

“Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

“I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

“I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

“And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Live at Invesco: UPDATE

Seeing as how one of my two laptop batteries lasted all of 45 minutes, I'm going to stick around here in the press box, at least for now. Since there's no power on the field, I won't be likely to stay on top of things down there.




Update (4:00 p.m. Mountain): Here's Speaker Pelosi calling the final day of the convention to order. U.S. Olympian Shawn Johnson is leading the pledge of allegiance, and Jennifer Hudson is singing the national anthem. David Saperstein is giving the invocation.

One advantage of being up in the press box (other than the air conditioning) is the fact that all prepared statements of the speakers are distributed up here prior to their appearance at the podium. I just need a pair of binoculars to see the stage.

The delegates are all mostly in attendance already on the field, and others are still filing in the stadium. Here's the Arkansas section, which is on about the 10 yard line to the right of the stage. I'll probably head that direction in an hour or so. Robbie just sent a text and said he's in a mile-long line outside the stadium and will see us around midnight.

Security is pretty tight, and TSA is requiring all attendees to enter through metal detectors, and all bags are being run through the scanner (as has been the case all week). Just got word from DPA staff that the line for the first checkpoint (the perimeter) is three hours long. After that, there's a second gate to get into the stadium.

Update (7:00 p.m. Mountain): They're doing the wave here in the stadium.

UCA Interim President Tom Courtway

By Rep. Robbie Wills

I just spoke with Tom Courtway, who was just named interim president of the University of Central Arkansas. Tom is a friend and mentor of mine and has always been a great supporter. The board of trustees could not have picked a more capable public servant to lead the university through this difficult time of transition. I have complete confidence in Tom Courtway and stand ready to assist him and the trustees in any way I can.

Update from Steve: Here's the governor's statement:

"Lu Hardin has been a hard-working public servant for 25 years, but I agree that his decision to resign is the right one for him and for the University of Central Arkansas. UCA is an exceptional institution, and I’m confident that its leaders will move quickly to refocus their energies on the mission of education. Lu is, and will remain, my good friend, and he and his family are in Ginger's and my thoughts and prayers." -- Governor Mike Beebe

Waiting in line

In line behind a few thousand people.

Lost at Breakfast

By Rep. Robbie Wills

While Steve departed early for the panel discussion with Dustin McDaniel, the rest of the Arkansas delegation was treated to a joint breakfast program with the delegation from Hawaii. The keynote of the breakfast was Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack's half sister and a native of the 50th state. For you dedicated star-watchers (and fans of the hit ABC TV show Lost) actor Daniel Dae Kim gave brief remarks on why he is supporting Barack Obama for President. On further questioning, he was absolutely adamant in his refusal to cough up any hints about the upcoming season of Lost and whether or not his Character, Jin, makes it off the island. "You'll just have to watch!," he said. I will. The folks from Hawaii were just as friendly and enthusiastic as the Arkies and a great little pep rally ensued.

I am very interested in the stagecraft for tonight's speech. The buildup to this has been fascinating. The obvious comparison to JFK's acceptance speech at the L.A. Coliseum in 1960 is easy to understand, but with the speech coming on the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech, the homage to Martin Luther King, Jr. strikes me as the most enduring. The Greek revival backdrop for the speech, in spite of being panned by conservative commentators and Republican pundits, reminds me of the Lincoln Memorial, the setting for Dr. King's famous address. Judging from the production quality in the Pepsi Center the last four days, I can only imagine what's in store tonight. My take is this: Barack Obama is not trying to go over the top, he's trying to inspire a nation. It's not about elevating his own celebrity, it's about placing the nation's problems on the biggest stage possible. These are big problems requring big solutions and they should be presented in the appropriate light. What's wrong with that? It's a huge order to fill, but Senator Obama has been prepping for this speech his entire political career.

As Steve said in an earlier post, the blogging infrastructure at Invesco Field is very limited. Steve has the capability to access the internet wireless (of course he does...he IS the technology whiz) and will be posting as battery capacity allows. I am taking along my Blackberry and will be emailing him updates as possible throughout the night. We are leaving at 12:30 p.m. CST to go to the stadium. I've packed my shades and sunscreen and am looking forward to the night's events.

My First Blog--by Dustin McDaniel

A First!!!

My friend Steve Harrelson is here to cover this PFAW panel. I really appreciate his friendship and support. I have met the panelists, and I fear I am in a little over my head. Jeff Rosen had a nice op-ed in yesterday's NY Times that we just discussed. Kathryn Kolbert was lead counsel in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. I thought that Jeffrey Toobin's portrayal of her legal acumen was very complimentary. To say the least, I am impressed. This is my first time to ever blog! My staff will never believe it was really me. I guess it's time to embrace the 21st century. If Robbie Wills can do it . . .

Thanks Steve for keeping all of us informed and for keeping all of us honest. You are a real Arkansas original, and I am honored by our friendship!

Decisions, decisions

I'm posting from Dustin McDaniel's vehicle as we drive to the "People for the American Way" panel. Dustin will participate on the panel along with Roy Sekoff, Editor of the Huffington Post, Michael Strautmanis, chief counsel to Sen. Obama, and author/journalist Jeffrey Rosen. I spoke at breakfast, and we haven't had much time to update the site this morning.

The setup will be a little different at Invesco tonight. There'll be no electricity or wired Internet connection on the field. However, I have the option of sitting in the press box, where there'll be both. I have an extra laptop battery and wireless connection card, so I should be able to post regardless of where I am.

Joe Biden's Speech

If there was any doubt about why Barack Obama asked Joe Biden to be his running mate, this put that to bed. Sen. Biden showed the fighting toughness that will no doubt be on display the next two months. Senator Obama's cameo appearance capped off a great night from the Pepsi Center. Steve and I are off to a Democratic Governor's Association event immediately after we leave. More reaction from Arkansas delegates to come...

Sign Choreography

We're impressed with the choreography of the various signs that are held up by the delegates during each of the speeches. I guess I thought these things just happened. In fact, the convention staff all throughout the hall roll these things out on a very tight schedule just in time for the speech during which they are to appear. They are very serious about NOT holding up a sign until its scheduled time. I can't imagine the coordination that makes all those awesome images on TV possible.

Rep. David Rainey Interviewed on CNN

By Rep. Robbie Wills

Our colleague Rep. David Rainey of Dumas was interviewed live on CNN by reporter Jessica Yellin. David did a great job! He was asked about his initial reaction to some of the comments made by the President during the heat of the primary campaign that some found offensive. David said that, coming into the convention, there were some lingering issues left over from the primary, but he understood that the President was campaigning for his wife and he simply had wanted to do everything possible to support her.

He was also asked what he thought of the President's speech. David said he thought it was "outstanding" and that all the issues that he had were resolved and added that it was important for everyone to hear from the President about why he is supporting Sen. Obama. "The American People know how much President Clinton loves his country," Rep. Rainey said. "It was important that he communicate with the country about his support for Barack Obama. Bill Clinton loves this country and his issues are resolved. He didn't get there overnight, but he got there."

For those of you who saw it live, yes, that was Steve and me in the background trying to act like we had a reason to be in the background other than a shameless desire to be on TV!

Liveblogging the convention Wednesday: UPDATE

Sen. Obama makes a cameo appearance:



Bill Clinton: Vintage. He just knocked that one out of the park.





Melissa Etheridge



We're now hearing nominating speeches on behalf of Hillary Clinton. Here are the nominators: Dolores Huerta, Student Jordan Apollo Pazell and Campaign Volunteer Denise Williams Harris are nominating Senator Clinton. Republican Iraq War Veteran Michael Wilson, Senator Salazar (D-CO), Reps. Davis (D-AL) and Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) will speak on behalf of Barack Obama.

Update (4:50 p.m. MDT):



On the motion of Sen. Clinton, the rules were suspended, and Sen. Barack Obama's nomination was confirmed by acclamation.

Bill Clinton's Speech

By Rep. Robbie Wills

This place just erupted. Bill Clinton still has it....and then some.

Invesco Field ready for Thursday's acceptance speech

Here's a picture of Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium taken by a cell phone:

Rep. Stephanie Flowers is in the House

By Rep. Robbie Wills
One of the most enthusiastic Obama supporters in the Arkansas delegation is our colleague Rep. Stephanie Flowers of Pine Bluff. Stephanie has been on the Obama bandwagon from the very beginning and has been one of his most vocal delegates at the convention. She can frequently be heard leading the whoops and hollers at our state delegation breakfasts. Here she is tonight at the convention, decked out in her finest Barack attire.

The Lu Hardin situation

By Rep. Robbie Wills

While I've been here in Denver the past few days, apparently the UCA situation has moved to the next level with a resignation from President Hardin rumored to come as early as tomorrow. UCA is in my legislative district and I've been had several inquiries and phone calls asking me to confirm one way or the other. I can say I have not spoken with Lu or any of the trustees today, so I can't confirm. However, I can say that the most important thing to me is that the University continue the progress and success it has enjoyed under Lu's leadership. UCA's growth has benefited the entire state's economy, and the growth has helped all of higher education. The University produces many of our state's nurses and teachers and is truly an asset to the entire state. Unfortunately, I believe it is in the best interest of the institution for that future success to continue under new leadership.

Should the resignation take place, I stand ready to assist the UCA administration - both the interim and the permanent leadership - in any way I can. I consider Lu and Mary Hardin good friends and am very grateful for all they have both done for Conway and UCA. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

What happened with the Arkansas roll call

By Rep. Robbie Wills

As Rebecca Gwatney briefly paused while reading our state's statement during the roll call, the microphone was turned of and Alice Germond, the secretary of the DNC, mistakenly announced that Arkansas cast all 47 votes for Senator Obama. Rebecca did a fantastic job on the fly with very little time to practice her remarks. The second page of her notes were being written as she was reading the first page. We are trying to get the record corrected officially.

Arkansas delegate vote: Obama 37, Clinton 8

This will be announced by Rebecca Gwatney shortly.
Update:



Alice Germond mistakenly moved on to California before allowing Rebecca to announce the vote. Our votes were cast unanimously to Obama.

Here's Rebecca's speech:

This is Rebecca Gwatney, on behalf of the Great State of Arkansas, the adopted home of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the state that provided her with her largest margin of 70% in the 2008 Democratic primary -- a state with an admiration for the Clintons that is unmatched throughout the country.

I am proud tonight to follow Sen. Clinton's call for unity and to unite behind Sen. Obama and elect him the next president of the United States.

(abrogated) Arkansas casts 37 votes for Barack Obama and 8 for Sen. Clinton

Alabama: Obama 48, Clinton 5
Alaska: Obama 15, Clinton 3
American Samoa: Obama 9, Clinton 0
Arizona: Obama 40, Clinton 27

Dueling Bloggers

By Rep. Robbie Wills

I'm sitting by Steve for now (picture at right). Not to be outdone, below is my picture with Sens. Lincoln and Pryor from today's lunch. I had the opportunity to sit by former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater at lunch and had a great visit about the future of transportation funding in the United States and Arkansas. With gas tax revenues shrinking nationwide and the cost of building and maintaining our state's highway system will become even more challenging. As the chairman of the House Transportation committee, I've asked Sec. Slater to help host a legislative summit on transportation issues at some point in the near future and he's agreed. His brother in law is Sen. Hank Wilkins, my counterpart as the Senate Transportation Committee chair.

I've been reminded by several readers that part of my job is to serve as the "style reporter" for Under the Dome and point out the stars that are in attendance. I have to admit, other than political stars like Al Sharpton and Mitt Romney (yes, THAT Mitt Romney), the closest I've come is Toby from "The West Wing." I have a picture of him but it really stinks so I'll keep it to myself. Tomorrow night will be the best night for star watching, with Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and many others in attendance. Our delegation has a great view of the CNN broadcast position though and I can see James Carville just fine.

Green Delegate Challenge

By Rep. Robbie Wills

You may notice many state delegation stanchions are capped with a little green sign. This signifies that the state's delegation is participating in the DNC Green Delegate Challenge. As part of an ongoing effort to make the 2008 Democratic National Convention the most environmentally-sustainable Democratic Convention in history, House Speaker and Permanent Convention Chair Nancy Pelosi announced the challenge, offering special rewards for the delegation or delegations that demonstrate the highest level of commitment to offsetting their carbon footprint from attending the Convention.

As part of the challenge, delegations with the highest percentage of members offsetting their carbon will be recognized in their seating section on the floor of the Pepsi Center during the Convention. Each delegate, alternate and super delegate from that state will also receive a limited edition "green" prize. Any delegate who offsets their travel will receive a unique wearable "green item" for Convention week, available only to these delegates, and be recognized individually on DemConvention.com.

The Arkansas Delegation isn't formally participating in the challenge, although Rep. Kathy Webb is individually participating by offsetting her carbon footprint for attending the convention.

Wednesday about Denver

Nominating speeches and the roll call vote of the states will begin in a couple of hours, and I've already made my way into the Pepsi Center for the duration of the day. Here are a few pictures taken today around Denver:

Arkansas luncheon


DLC Infrastructure Forum


Wednesday in the Pepsi Center

3rd Congressional District delegate comments

Here are some excerpts from comments made by delegates from northwest Arkansas this morning:

Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville on women's issues (Arkansans fight for each other):


NWA delegates discuss the addition of Joe Biden to the ticket and his upcoming address tonight:

Arkansas delegation casts ballots: UPDATE

Voting is open until 4:00 p.m., but several of the delegates have cast their ballots already. Noted: at least one vote from the Arkansas delegation will be cast for Hillary.

Update (3:00 Mountain): Hillary releases her delegates.

Here's a picture of the Arkansas delegation and guests taken this morning:

Chairman Gwatney's birthday

Last night would've been Chairman Gwatney's 49th birthday, and he had plans of celebrating here in Denver. The Arkansas delegation gathered for the occasion last night in downtown Denver, and several others showed up to pay their respects, including Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

The Morning Line

By Rep. Robbie Wills

This morning I ran ten miles. Then I woke up, realized I'd dreamed the whole thing, rolled over and went back to sleep. Sleep is a relative thing: compared to three hours the night before, 5 hours of shut-eye can actually be quite refreshing. All the morning papers and pundits are asking the question of whether Sen. Clinton did enough last night to unite her followers with Sen. Obama's. I don't know how many times she could have said it, or how many ways she could have phrased it in her speech last night, but it really couldn't have been more clear: she is supporting Barack Obama for president and wants her delegates and supporters to do the same. At any rate, we are off the the Arkansas breakfast for a quick bite and, or course, my daily quest for credentials.

The View From The Peanut Gallery

By Rep. Robbie Wills

I was lucky enough this evening to have a "Hall Pass," which gave me entry to the Pepsi Center. You are no doubt wondering by now the difference between a Hall Pass and a Floor Pass. Actually, I have seen at least six different flavors of convention passes and there is really a hierarchy of rank as far as your access to the convention hall. A Perimeter Pass will get you through the outer ring of security about five blocks around the convention hall, but no further. An Arena Pass will get you through the metal detectors and inside the front door, but no further. (the security line - if you can call it that - is pictured at left. It was about a 45-minute wait to get through the checkpoints) A Hall Pass will get you a seat in the upper deck, first come first serve, with absolutely no standing room - not even a peek in from an entry ramp. A Floor Pass - reserved mostly for Delegates and other officials, gets you in the lower bowl of the hall and the actual floor of the Pepsi Center - the most prized credential in my book. I've also seen Press Passes and Staff Passes, but really have no idea how much access those folks have. So, me and my Hall Pass were on our own to find a suitable perch to watch the convention. Every man and woman for themselves, you know.

After a visit to the DLCC base of operations behind the podium (with a nice view of the backstage area) I made my way up to the upper deck and managed to see Govs. Strickland and Patrick's speeches from the nosebleed section of the hall. The walkways inside the arena were absolutely jam-packed. Standing in the crowds, you tend to overhear people speaking their minds. In general, most of the comments in the upper altitudes were from Clinton supporters expressing hope that Sen. Clinton could bring the two camps together with a very clear statement of her support for Sen. Obama. One Clinton delegate said she wanted to be "released" so she could commit herself to the Obama campaign in her home state. ( A timely score of a ticket to a slightly lower, more private viewing area gave me a better standing-room-only view of Hillary's address.) When Sen. Clinton took the stage and very clearly and effectively, from my perspective, made the case for Barack Obama, many convention-goers in my vicinity whooped and hollered, and seemed to give the speech high marks.

Finally, the Arkansas Party, dedicated in memory of our late Chairman Bill Gwatney, was held at a venue in downtown Denver after the convention closed and was a real "who's who" of Arkansas Democratic politics. No, I haven't slept since 5:00 this morning and quite frankly can't explain why I'm still up. In fact...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Primetime Tuesday

Hillary Clinton pledges her support for Barack Obama

Update II (9:10 p.m. MDT): Here's footage of Hillary Clinton's address here at the Pepsi Center tonight:



Update (7:30 MDT):



Here's Arkansas Row at the Pepsi Center tonight. Walter Mondale is two rows in front of me, and Jimmy Carter is a few rows behind us.

Original post:I walked by the MSNBC set en route to the Pepsi Center -- here's Nora O'Donnell laughing at a point made on their live coverage of the convention. It's now 5:15 Mountain time, and the women of the United States Senate are speaking here in the Pepsi Center, including Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln (below). On deck are Mark Warner, Gov. Ted Strickland, and Sen. Hillary Clinton will give the keynote later tonight.



Earlier, a moment of silence took place along with an in memoriam video that included all major elected Democratic elected officials who have passed away since the last convention. Chairman Bill Gwatney was the only non-elected official memorialized.

Here's a video of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer addressing the convention: