"When such events occur, we are reminded that first, we are all Americans. And that our shared American ideals will always transcend political partisanship," Laura Bush is saying in her totally awesome address to the Republican Convention and to the nation, while her husband, Leader of the Free World, consults with the frontline Gulf coast folks who are fighting tooth and nail with our own Mother Nature. Then the Convention moves on to messages from the Governors in the states threatened by the fury of Hurricane Gustav. ALL Republican. Compare this with the glitz and glamour and empty rhetoric of the Democratic Convention last week. A good time to be a Republican.

"Sarah is electrifying our party," Mitt is telling a Fox News anchor, asserting he's not interested in a cabinet post. His father had been there and done that, says he, and the bureaucratic pushback was stultifying.

Then there's the matter of Sarah Barracuda's eldest child's delicate condition. Words of wisdom from an imail conversation this evening:

She: I'm still breathless over Bristol's pregnancy. I think this is going to swing OUR way, BIG TIME … real people with real problems, out in the open, dealing with them. We: Yes. Especially because of the horrific thing Obama said about a baby's being a punishment were one of his daughters to conceive "out of wedlock." In fact, this just in from my favorite satirist. She: AWESOME!! The contrast is stark. I like this comment from a Lucianne reader: "If McCain can get the votes of all the women who were pregnant at their weddings, it'll be a landslide!"

"As John has been saying for the last few days, this is a time when we take off our Republican hats and put on our American hats. To help, we ask you to go to causegreater.com and contribute," says Cindy McCain, sharing the podium with the current First Lady early evening at the Republican Convention. They're reminding us of the women of an earlier generation. Their men are off at the front, fighting the good fight even as their helpmeets keep the homefires burning. You go, girls!

Strong women beside strong men. The land of the free and the home of the brave still stand.

Update: Instalanche! We can never get enough.

Update II: NROs Byron York interviews evangelical conventioneers and discovers they "seem to be completely on Palin’s side. And McCain’s." Head of McCain evangelical outreach Marlys Popma explains:

“There hasn’t been one evangelical family that hasn’t gone through some sort of situation. Many of us are in this movement because of something that has happened in our lives.”

Landslide!

Update III: Maggie's serves up a tasty smorgasbord of great one liners with links — including us! — in "The 2008 political soap opera continues."

Update IV: How cool is THIS? Milblogger Timmer of The Daily Brief tosses us a lovely link, and savors Sarah Barracuda's energizing effect on some of his favorite "smart, funny, successful in what they’ve chosen to do, women" of the blogosphere:

I think the lefties are going to be VERY sorry that they pissed off the working Moms of this country. They not only went after her family, they questioned whether or not she could be a good mom and do the Vice President thing at the same time. Big mistake. Huge honking blunder.

And they still don't know what hit them.

Update V: Venomous Kate links: "Finally, a candidate who gets what my life’s about."

