9:30 pm

Well, here we are at the press section of the convention and the delegates have just made Bush's nomination, which was every single one of the 2508 eligible votes, unanimous, and there was a bit of a dance before the appointment of committee to inform him of what he already knows. This was followed by the nomination of Dick Cheney for vice president. This is by voice vote, as there was a rules change in 1988 in order to stop an anti-Dan Quayle revolt and an extra roll call is a waste of time.

So, the work of the convention is hereby done. Cheney is going to accept the nomination later tonight, and that speech is going to be extremely important in stopping Kerry if that is possible...and it is. But so far nothing much has actually happened. The networks have yet to actually start broadcasting. They're too smart for that. There's no need to broadcast what's already a done deal.

There's really nothing to do until either Zell Miller or the Vice President make their speeches later on in the evening. However, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chou takes the podium after her husband, the state's senior senator, gives her a rousing introduction. She gives an autobiographical sketch which is actually pretty silly in parts. The crowd begins to mill around and most of the delegates begin to ignore her. This is going to be pretty much the state of affairs until around nine or nine thirty.