At the end of the Democratic convention

We are at the midway point in the     official launch of the 2008 election.     One convention has ended, another is just beginning. I write from Denver, the site of the Democrat's meeting; and as is always the case, this has been an exhausting and exhilarating week. The formal evening meetings of the convention were only part of the story. But what a story.

The emotional surprise appearance of Senator Edward Kennedy on the first day set the tone for the week. The "old warrior," under treatment for a malignant brain tumour, made the difficult and risky trip to Denver not to deliver a valedictory address, but to remind his party of the challenges ahead and spur them on.

Kennedy was followed by Michelle Obama, whose keynote remarks were necessitated by the campaign of vilification she has endured. She is an intelligent and forceful African American woman, who some have sought to caricature as a radical, out of touch with the mainstream. Since race, no doubt, played an important role here, Michelle Obama's narrative (as a daughter, wife, mother and working woman) was an important reminder of just how American her story is.

Next on the agenda was the need to resolve eighteen months of a hard-fought campaign between Senators Obama and Clinton. The process began with Senator Clinton's endorsement of Obama on Tuesday night, and was completed the next evening by President Clinton's tribute to his potential successor. By the end of President Clinton's speech it was clear that the Democratic Party is now led by Senator Obama, with Clinton acknowledging that the mantle of leadership had been passed.