Teddy Kennedy, Michelle Obama help Democrats open in Denver

Opening night of the Democratic National Convention; they show a great video with ex-President Jimmy Carter. He's still sharp, and his words in the video--mainly about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina--are the most compelling of the night. Oddly, they have him come up on stage with his wife Roslyn Carter, wave, and then that's it.... No words or anything.

Odd cut to a video about Barack Obama, with Lawrence Tribe calling him the most memorable student he's ever had at Harvard Law School. Next is Maya Soetorno-Ng, Obama's half-sister. She's poised, articulate, self-assured. The hall is quiet for the first time all night; Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't get anything like this reception.

They learned from their mom that "we should sometimes have faith in what we could not see". This is a really good speech; it's sincere, and normal. I'd have put her on in prime time Thursday, right before him. This is the side of him people need to see.

Hmm, she's a history teacher. You can tell she's steely. I really like her, look forward to hearing more from her.

Now, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. He's very impressive, says Dr. King is looking down, knowing this is the first convention to take place in sight of a mountaintop. Wow, what a great line. This is a classic Democratic moment; again, I wish this were in prime time on Thursday. It's a great speech for the party's heart and soul; Jackson is going to be big, all of his father's rhetorical gift, plus the buttoned-down attitude that'll appeal to white elites. Kindof an abrupt ending, but overall good. Hmm, Joe Biden's in the house, looking very much at home.

Now Carter's sitting down with Jim Lehrer. This should be a great interview. His 9th convention in a row, beginning in 1976. That's crazy, the year he was nominated was his first convention?! He talks about how it's no biggie that some Hillary people aren't for Obama, just like the Ronald Reagan/Gerald Ford split in 1976 didn't impact the GOP that year. Interesting, his cadence and speaking style seems to have been picked up by Bill Clinton.

David Brooks asks him about race, Carter says it's an issue, but minimal. He predicts Obama will pick up some southern states. Mark Shields asks him more about his personal experience growing up in a segregated South; this is a fascinating interview, talks about Harry Truman ending racial segregation in the military, changing his life when he was a submarine officer. Says he wept watching Obama's Philadelphia speech, the most enlightening and transforming speech on race he's ever seen.

Hey, there's a Sikh delegate in the crowd, and Spike Lee. What a great multicultural stew here, dancing to the music; the GOP affair, of course, will be cold and white and menacing. Not sure I like the DNC's stage, it's a bit--busy.

Some talking heads on PBS, and then Caroline Kennedy. She says she's never had someone inspire her like her father did, until now. She's cool, calm and collected; segues into an introduction for her uncle, Ted Kennedy. This is going to be an amazing moment when he comes out on stage.

Video tribute to him first. Man, so much history in this one man--essentially all of post-WWII politics in this country. Starts off in his sailboat, then black and white footage and photos, some color. He may be the most effective Senator of all time; his life story is Shakespearean in impact and scope.

Wow, he's read to kids every Tuesday at a public school in DC?! They have a college-bound student talk about the impact he made on her life. Rep. John Lewis is powerful in the piece, but none so much as the emotional father of an Iraq soldier who lost his life due to no body armor, and who teamed up with Kennedy to pass legislation six months after that.

They pivot, show Kennedy and Obama together. Wow, he was so vigorous during the primaries. Has been sick since then. Wow, out he comes--to a sea of Kennedy signs, and big-time ovation. The hall is packed now, this is prime time. Wow, he's surprisingly strong! Maria Shriver's on the floor too, wiping away tears. This must do him good to get this reception.

He's a great speaker, his words carry such weight because of who he is and what he's done. Biden's beaming on the floor, chant of Teddy, Teddy. Wow, 1980 all over again! He's crip, strong, direct, pounds on health care as a right. Yes we can, and finally, yes we will. Talks about reaching the moon; I think under Obama we'll hopefully have new metaphors to cite. "The work begins anew, the hope rises again--and the dream lives on."

The entire Kennedy clan is out on stage now, and it's a big one. Hmm, Maria's still in the audience. What a great American story; he doesn't seem to want to leave, crowd is clapping along to Still the One. What a great legacy, what a great Democratic party.

After Shields talk about how his greatness as a senator started with his defeat in 1980. Makes an interesting point, he was then like the great Southern senators who had no higher aspirations because they were from the segrated South and so devoted themselves to the Senate.

Richard Norton Smith says tonight Kennedy reminded a lot of Democrats why they are Democrats.

It's interesting, the homepages of the BBC, Le Monde, El Pais, Der Spiegel, Corriere della Sera all have the DNC as the top news story. Imagine if all the U.S. newspaper were leading with some European political convention....

It's 10:00 p.m. on the East Coast, now watching the networks. They're all recapping the Kennedy speech; really, DNC should've had it lead off the coverage. Instead, Jim Leach drones on about something in the background. Old school Bob Schieffer, who Katie Couric tells us has covered all 20 conventions over the past 40 years, reports from the dais.

My gosh, breaking news on CBS, cops arrested men with high-powered rifles with scopes, plot to assassinated Barack Obama when he speaks at Invesco Thursday night. Washington Post has some details, blogged by a reporter who was in the hotel room next to the one cops raided.

Back on ABC, Caroline Kennedy, Charlie Gibson says as many conventions as they've all been to, the Ted Kennedy speech was one of the most emotional moments they can remember.

Over on NBC Tom Brokaw, who sometimes you fear is going to have a senior moment, is talking about Obama's big reach for the presidency, and race, and generations. Claire McCaskill is on the podium, totally getting ignored, one reason why she wasn't picked for VP. Back on ABC, Kate Snow's right in the midst of the delegates, talking about the reaction to Kennedy.

Smart for Obama to kick things off with his wife, it'll bring some of the Clinton supporters back into the fold. Coming up is the Michelle Obama film; over on NBC, Caroline Kennedy's here too. Williams asks her if she has any words that can heal the Obama-Clinton rift, she says everyone here cares about the same thing, we'll get it worked out.

Oh wow, the networks are all missing the Michelle Obama bio film live; but ABC and CBS are showing it on tape; CBS cuts out halfway through, ABC showing the whole thing, like they said they'll do at the Republican convention. She said, hilariously, the first time she heard about him at their law firm, she was like who names their kid Barack Obama, he must be weird. He was late, but she found him interesting, was his advisor at the firm.

'His big move' was on the drive back from a company picnic, he offered to buy her ice cream. NBC is ignoring all this still, CBS at least is talking about her life. Good call, ABC. Some clean-scrubbed white people in this video, it's really well-made, if a bit disjointed.

NBC now cuts live to Craig Robinson, Michelle's sister. CBS still talking about her, not showing anything--a bunch of white people analyzing her. ABC still on the video. Brother says even though they were only allowed an hour of TV a night, still memorized every Brady Bunch episode. ABC finishes the video, goes to commercial.

Michelle Obama's mom is cute, wearing a huge white hat with the 'Obama' on it. Brother talks about how they talked every night before going to sleep, shared a room divided in two. ABC has now joined the speech, CBS still featuring its all-white lineup.

Hey, he's coach of the Oregon State men's basketball team, says Go Beavers! She did take something away from that first law firm job--a young lawyer by the name of Barack Obama. Says she asked him to go take him to play basketball; confident not cocky, takes the shot if open, team player who improves others, and he won't back down from any challenge.

This is a great speech, doing what it needs to do. CBS picks up the last part of this; and now... Michelle. Out she comes, in fabulous green dress with a big brooch, shakes her head playfully at her brother, big smile. People are crying in the audience.

She's a great speaker, coming from the heart--so simple and easy. Her top's slightly crooked. A bit nervous to start, bit of fits and starts. Now getting into it, loves her husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president. Talks about her girls, then her mom, then her dad. She slips in a bit of a down home accent at time talking about her parents, gets emotional talking about how much her parents loved them, nice pivot to them making it to college, as proof of the American dream.

Man, this is an absolute home run; I don't remember a better spouse speech, ever. A slight dig at McCain, she and Barack were raised to treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't agree with them.

Talks about Barack's community organizing with the steelworkers, this is a highly effective section. America should be a place where you can make it if you try. The crowd is totally transfixed, dead silence. Man, she is a great speaker. Very compelling. 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote; and the 45th anniversary of MLK's speech.

What great faces in the audience; this is the best of America. Praises ordinary Americans, then singles out people like Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling; people like Joe Biden, who's never forgotten where he came from.

"The world as it is just won't do, we obligation to fight for the world as it should be--and that's the thread that connects our hearts."

And that is why I love this country.... Big, huge, applause. She talks about what she's done, in her own small way, to try and give back. Everything she talks about regarding Obama is economic-related, or veterans-related. This is an absolute grand slam. To end the war in Iraq responsibly, to build an economy that lifts every family. To educate every child.

Big smile; building to a close here. People are standing and listening. Just an extraordinary speech, totally exceeded even the highest expectations. Hope, and a list of people whose stories he's heard, and what drove people in Iowa to come out on a cold winter night.

And in the end... he's the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago. Same man who drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital, inching home at a snail's pace, peering at us anxiously in the rearview mirror.

Man, she's tearing up, fighting back tears; this is really emotional. There's no Clinton rift anymore, and I don't think there are going to be very many undecided independents either after this convention. People are getting on their feet; tonight, in honor of my father's memory and my daughters' future; let us stand together to elect Barack Obama president of the United States of America.

Isn't She Lovely playing as the crowd stands and roars. NBC starts talking, ABC lets us listen, out comes the cute girls, in purple and a matching dress, they are sooooooooo cute. She gets a handheld mike, and daddy's on the big screen! They blow kisses at him, he's smiling big time, waving to the crowd, which is just roaring.

"Hello everybody, how about Michelle Obama! Now you know why I asked her out so many times, even though she said no. You want a persistent president!"

Michelle, you were unbelievable, the kids are talking back to him, just shouting stuff into the mike, he's with a family in Kansas City. They have a wireless mike, are grabbing it from each other to talk to him. I mean, this is irresistable television. You can't underestimate the appeal of a fun, young family.

Timing is perfect, a few minutes before 11, no time for over-analysis. ABC/NBC just talking, CBS talking to people in the crowd, which is smart.

A great first night for the Democrats. Tomorrow should be interesting; will be hard to top this, it's exactly what Obama wanted.