Nelson Benton
Judging from their performances before the Republican National Convention Wednesday night, it's clear John McCain made the right decision in choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin over Mitt Romney to be his running mate.
Palin brought down the house with her poise and not-so-gentle analysis of what separates McCain from Democratic candidate Barack Obama.
"In politics," she declared, "there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change. They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals."
Much of the material, including the zingers, were written by others. And convention organizers did Palin a favor by having her follow Romney and Rudy Giuliani whose speeches are rarely inspiring.
However, the delivery — understated, but confident despite there being so much at stake — was all hers. You can bet it had Democrats scrambling afterwards to dig up more embarrassing tidbits about her personal life.
Watching the speech from the VIP seats, Cindy McCain's face revealed a combination of awe and relief. As for her husband, he had one word for Palin when he joined her on stage: "Tremendous."
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On the other hand, if there was anyone who showed he wasn't ready for prime time it was the Bay State's former governor.
Wednesday night was hardly an Obama moment for Romney, who delivered a tired attack on the "liberal" establishment in a style that was even more smug and stilted than normal.
Maybe his heart wasn't in it, since a McCain loss this year would make him a frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2012.
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Beverly's Kerry Healey has been prominent among Massachusetts GOP delegates to the convention in St. Paul, which has led to speculation that she may make another run for governor in 2010.
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Eight years in the White House hasn't bought President George W. Bush much love even within his own party.
Unlike another two-term Republican president, Ronald Reagan, Bush has hardly been mentioned during the convention, and one got the impression party leaders were grateful for Hurriane Gustav, which forced the incumbent to deliver his remarks via TV instead of in person.
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Gloucester attorney Ed O'Reilly met with editors at The Salem News this week to discuss his challenge to Sen. John Kerry in the upcoming Democratic primary.
O'Reilly is miffed over Kerry's decision to grant him but a single debate — a half-hour, prerecorded affair that will be broadcast on WBZ-TV at 8:30 this Sunday morning. He also confessed to being nervous about confronting the longtime incumbent .
Despite a huge gap in fundraising and poll numbers, O'Reilly insists he can upset Kerry since there are many like him who view the incumbent's initial support of the war in Iraq as a case of political opportunism
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Gov. Deval Patrick's effort to reform a system that requires contractors to hire a police officer anytime they do work on a public street, is being undercut by actions like that of Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini. As part of contract negotiations with his city's police officers, Fiorentini agreed to continue the status quo for at least the next three years.
For years municipal officials have complained about a lack of support from Beacon Hill when they take on the municipal unions. This time it's one of their own who's backpedaling.
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Nelson Benton's column on North Shore politics appears Fridays.
