Get the TiVO Ready! DNC Convention Begins Today!

Are you ready for the most exciting week of your life? This is the week all the loyal Dems have been waiting for with baited breath. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who's been counting down all summer. But it's sure to be a great week in Denver.

For the latest on the Convention, visit the DNC Convention website.

Today's Theme: One Nation

Highlights of Tonight's Speakers:

A bunch of the Illinois folks will speak - Atty. General Lisa Madigan, President of the Senate Emil Jones (aka Barack's god father), Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis, Comptroller Dan Hynes.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Former President Jimmy Carter

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy by Caroline Kennedy followed by a video tribute. There's a rumor that Senator Kennedy is actually going to show up tonight. Personally, I hope so. It will probably be one of the last times we see him speak in person.

The night will conclude with Michelle Obama giving the keynote address.

For the most complete coverage, I would turn to CNN, MSNBC, or CSPAN. The big 3 networks are only scheduled to air one hour each night. I'm reminded of the West Wing episode where Toby plays hardball with the network execs over their jointly planned lack of coverage of the upcoming Convention. He reminds them that by jointly deciding not to cover the conventions, they are violating anti-trust laws, that the Justice Department will come down on them and then informs them that they will cover the Conventions gavel to gavel to prevent that. "There isn't going to be a horse race to cover, either in New York or San Diego [the locations of the fictional conventions in The West Wing], but we gave you the air waves for free 70 years ago and 357 days a year you can say who's up and who's down, who won the West and who lost the South but what's wrong with 8 days, not every year but every 4 years, showing our leaders talking to us. Not a fraction of what they said but what they said. And then th-the balloons." For all the crap that's on television everyday, I firmly believe these conventions are important for the exact reasons Toby says.

It's sure to be an emotional night with the Ted Kennedy tribute, so get out your Kleenex and set your TiVO. You won't want to miss a moment.

UPDATE: Accoding to CNN, Senator Ted Kennedy will appear live tonight at the DNC Convention. Obviously my plea weighed heavily in his decision. This is only Senator Kennedy's 2nd public appearance since his brain surgery in June.