The first woman nominated on a major party ticket (Vice Presidential running mate with Walter Mondale) was Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. Hillary Clinton has done far better than any previous woman in history, in attempting to crack the glass ceiling and become her party’s nominee for President. When she suspended her campaign on June 7, she had 1,896 delegates to Barack Obama’s 2,201.

She leaves the contest $24 million in debt ($13 million loaned to herself) as of the first of August, but look for the Clintons to land on their feet, as they also left the White House in debt and Bill’s speaking engagements and the couple’s books quickly changed all that. Hillary was first elected to the Senate from New York in 2000 and was re-elected in 2006, so she still brings home a steady paycheck.

This year’s crop of Democratic delegates to the convention in Denver, Colorado is the most diverse in history. Forty-four % of the delegates represent minority constituents. Of that number, 24% are African-American, the largest number in history; 5% are Asian and/or Pacific Islander delegates; 12% are Latino delegates; 6% (250 individuals) represent the gay and lesbian community.

In terms of age, of both delegates and candidates, the youngest candidate ever nominated by a major party (in 1896) was William Jennings Bryan, who was known as a great orator and was also his party’s nominee in 1900 and 1908, the year he lost to Taft. [In fact, 1908 was the first year that a nominating convention of a major party was held in a western state.]

The oldest candidate ever nominated by a major party, in 1984, was the then-73-year-old Ronald Reagan. McCain turns 72 on August 29^th (birth year: 1936) and is the oldest non-incumbent ever to win his party’s nomination. The youngest delegate to this convention is David Gilbert Pederson from Minnesota, who is 17. Fourteen % of delegates this year are 36 or younger. I believe I read that there is also a 91-year-old delegate who is the oldest.

Colorado has hosted more conventions than any other city in the country: 25, to date. It has 9 electoral votes and is one of 11 “toss-up” states in this election. Only two times in the last 14 elections has Denver gone Democratic: to LBJ in 1964 and to Clinton in 1992. The colossal SNAFUS inspired by the influx of 4,000 delegates and 15,000 media, with the shutting down of major arteries like Speer Boulevard, may keep Colorado red, as the locals are not happy with the constant closings of streets.

However, city officials say that the convention will bring in between $160 and $200 million in revenue, so perhaps the inconvenience is worth it. Conventions have come a long way, in terms of complexity, since the very first one in Baltimore in 1852, which nominated Andrew Jackson for his second term. Conventions are expensive to put on, so the federal government has given city officials in Denver and St. Paul $50 million to provide additional security.

At least Denver only has to put up with the convention from Monday, August 24^th, through Thursday, August 29^th, four days. In 1924, in New York City, the convention lasted 17 days, the longest in history. (On the other hand, the convention of 1872 in Baltimore only lasted 6 hours!) And the conventions seem to get wordier and wordier, which is underscored by the fact that the very first Democratic platform in 1840 ran fewer than 1,000 words. (Don’t ask about this year’s!)

The delegates and media are shoehorned into the 20,000 seat Pepsi Center, which opened on October 1, 1999, with a Celine Dion concert. It is normally home to the Denver Nuggets. It’s a tight fit. (You’re hearing this from someone who is inside and will be inside again tonight, so trust me on that!) We move to Invesco Field on Thursday night, when Barack Obama accepts his party’s nomination for President, a truly historic moment.

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This post guest-blogged by Connie Wilson...

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With a look of alarm, my daughter sits up in bed exclaiming, "My tooth is loose". She begins the acrobatic twists, squints in anticipation of the smarting pain as the tooth fights to keep root in her tiny gum. It is a determined little front tooth that holds on with every scrap of tenacity it can muster.

Her sixteen year old brother escorts her into the bathroom to coach her. At her age he was an expert in baby teeth extraction, once netting the tooth fairy six teeth in a three week period. He is a now a retired champion.

As her coach, both encouraging and determined, he finds a way to convince his little sister to gut it out, showing her how to twist and fight and struggle with the offending front tooth. As the smarting pain dominates and wins a battle, she squeals jumping both feet into the air in quick nervous leaps and flapping her arms, but she mounts a comeback. She doubles her efforts, digs in through the pain and eventually emerges from the bathroom proudly displaying a marked gap in her grin as the offending baby tooth lies in the palm of her hand. Her brother walks out behind her with a cocky smile as if he just coached an Olympic athlete to a gold medal. High fives all the way around.

My seven year old daughter and her struggle with losing her front tooth is the epitome of my inspiration. I am a comeback parent. I have the luxury of a second chance to raise a child later in life. When she graduates from high school, I will be preparing to retire. My oldest two children were 13 and 9 when their little sister was born. My husband and I were in our late thirties when our surprise was unwrapped in a hospital room.

In these past seven years I have had the unique experience of having children in daycare, middle school and high school all at the same time. Now the oldest has left for college and my husband and I realize how lucky we are to be given the second chance gift of parenthood.

My inspiration is my children. Without them life would be bereft of so many of life's most simple gifts, including the toothless grin of a seven-year-old little girl.

It was just announced that Leach, now serving as the interim Director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard is to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado on opening night (Monday, August 25, 2008). Trotting out this esteemed thirty-year Republican legislator, who endorsed Barack Obama on August 12^th, is a coup for the Democrats akin to the use of (now Independent) Senator Joseph Leiberman, (former Democratic Vice Presidential running mate with John Kerry) at the Republican convention to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 1-4^th.

Jim Leach was re-elected by Iowans fourteen times over a thirty-span before being defeated in something of an upset by Cornell College Professor David Loebsack by a slim 6,000-vote margin in 2007. Leach was gracious in victory, and he was gracious in defeat. Leach had come on the scene in 1976 by defeating Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa (who later served time in prison). He was one of the most honorable and respected Senators in Congress, serving as Chairman of the Banking and Financial Services Committee, on the Sub-Committee on Asian and Pacific Affairs and on the Executive Committee on China.

Leach was always known as a thoughtful, well-educated representative, who tried to build consensus. He founded three groups dedicated to reaching out to the other side, including the Ripon Society and the Republican Mainstream Committee on Parliamentarianism for Global Action. One expected good things from Jim Leach, and he delivered insightful votes for the right causes and stood up against corruption.

In 1973, Jim Leach was then a delegate to the Geneva Disarmament Convention and the United Nations General Assembly, but he resigned his post in protest of then-President Richard Nixon’s firing of Eliot Richardson and Archibald Cox in that facet of Watergate that came to be known as “the Saturday Night Massacre.” Leach also protested the 1980’s Iran Contra policy, has supported stem cell research, and has been a supporter of a woman’s right to choose, except in the final trimester of a pregnancy.

Leach accepted no PAC money, banned out-of-state contributions and set limits on political contributions to his campaigns. He also opposed the United States’ withdrawal from the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. The Gramm-Leach-Bailey bill he sponsored was one of the seminal pieces of banking legislation of the 20^th century.

And now private citizen James Leach, graduate of Princeton, Johns Hopkins and the London School of Economics, is going to speak out again, singing the praises of Barack Obama, a man he has seen work to build compromise across political lines.

Jim Leach is much honored, both by other governments and with awards for his integrity. In Iowa, his name is synonymous with decency and integrity in office His speech on Monday, August 25^th in Denver will be a definite blow to the hopes of Republican candidate John McCain and a boost to Democratic upstart Barack Obama, and, more importantly, will be a “second coming,” of sorts, to the political scene for the kind of politician that has been in short supply in the last eight years of the George W. Bush administration.

This post guest-blogged by Connie Wilson...

When Senator Barack Obama finally got Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, a toss of a coin then could very well have come up with Joe Biden as VP.

Washington PostInstead, we defer to so-called” due process”, a suped-up committee, needless use of resources, and three months of useless speculation to arrive at who else…Senator Joe Biden. Is this process over cooked or what?

Think about it. Fifteen (15) months of Primary campaigning, an additional 3 months to vet a Veep and the best you can come up with is a guy whose 1988 run, came to a screeching halt because of charges of plagiarism...a guy who apparently overstated his scholastic achievements and someone who is on record as saying the guy who he will be second to is not fit for the number one spot. I just don’t get it!

I don’t’ know about anyone else; but if you are going to take almost two years to come up with a Veep, I want a guy who is going to make the hair on my neck stand on end…not someone who has been apart of the system for 30 years, who has shown that he can’t win votes, is known as being too talkative, and gaffes a lot.

You know what, even with all that baggage, I am now beginning to find Hillary Clinton very attractive. She is a much more exciting prospect and at least, we know she can win 18 million votes.

Originally Posted on FoxMichael Phelps of the USA won 8 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing and in the process, set new world records; but without question, the star of the Beijing Olympics is the incomparable, showboating phenom, Usain Bolt.

Showboating, you said? Yes! The nerve of the Olympics Chief, Jacques Rogge, to chide the 22 year old star for showboating after he spectacularly man-handled the world’s best sprinters for victory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.

Come on now, Mr. Rogge. I can tell you right now that if I went to the Olympics and won, arguably the most popular spectator events, while setting a world record in each, there’s no telling when the celebration would end.

I can see it now…being dragged out of the Bird’s Nest dancing and blowing kisses at cheering fans by adoring, reluctant security men.

Seriously though…let’s for a moment ignore Mr. Rogge like we really should and put things into perspective. The truth is Mr. Bolt has a million reasons to showboat all he wants…here are a few:

• Jamaica has produced some great sprinters over the years; but he is the first to win the coveted 100m title, let alone, the 200m and 4x100m relay and all in one staging of track and field’s greatest show on earth.
• He is the first since Carl Lewis (24 years ago) in Los Angeles to win gold medals in both marquee sprint events (the 100m and 200m)…and he did not only win…he completely dominated the field to smash the world record in both events!
• He, only this year, started to run the 100m and in just a handful of races, has broken the world record twice.
• In breaking the 200m world record of 19.32 seconds, he broke a 12-year record set by the American, Michael Johnson, which many thought would never be broken in their lifetime.
• In totally dominating the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 22-year old, Usain Bolt, showed maturity beyond his years in the way he managed all his races leading up to the finals. It was the classic master at work conserving energy and doing just enough (never losing one race) in the preliminary rounds, while saving the very best for the races that really counted.
• Most importantly, the 6ft.5in. tall, the Jamaican Star had fun…looking totally relaxed and in control as seasoned veterans looked tense and totally in awe of track and field’s biggest stage.

Does Mr. Rogge understand what steroids have done to track and field and sports over the past few years? Does he understand the how much damage people like Ben Johnson and Justin Gatlin have caused? And here we have a fun-loving, wholesome kid who is no less than a godsend for track and field and sports and all Mr. Rogge can do is complain!

Mr. Rogge should know better. In sports and especially where the media is concerned, it’s not just about the winning; but also very much about the style. Those who got their butt kicked by the showboating 22-year old kid will now know, in no uncertain way, that the bar has been raised. They will know that in order to compete, they will have to improve by leaps and bounds.

I ask Mr. Rogge one question…If a little showboating results in a more hardworking, more determined sprinters who now know they can compete without PEDs and ultimately, a more competitive field at the 2012 staging of the Olympics, how can that be bad for track and field?

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The dreams we have when we are young are rarely fulfilled. The greatest tragedy of being an adult is to give up those dreams and never try to achieve them. The reality of life drowns the innocence and belief of childhood. Remember when you believed anything was possible? If you wished hard enough you could make it happen?

When I was a child I daydreamed of being a famous writer. I would live in Scotland where my ancestors once lived and I would write wonderful stories of fantasy and magic. Apparently I was not the only one with this dream. As I grew older my life took turns that I did not foresee and the dreams were forgotten for a time.

In the sheer boredom and depression of day-to-day living, you know within yourself something is not as it should be. You are not doing what you were meant to do. One day rolls into the next, unsatisfying and monotonous. This is how I felt until the day I found the picture of Scotland below.

In a second all the dreams came rushing back. A flood of images and ideas that were once forgotten returned and now could not be denied.

In that one picture was all that I had ever dreamed of. A thousand stories live inside that frame. The power of that image haunts me. I know that such a place does exist and the beauty of it inspires me to believe that all things are possible again. There is magic left in the world. A great man once said to hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die; life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.

When circumstances are beyond my control and it seems that there is no solution, I look at that picture and I remember all the joy and excitement that I felt as a child. I let it fill me up and I let my dreams fly.

Life is all about second chances. A second chance at the dreams we have forgotten is all we can ask. Growing up does not have to mean giving up. If it does then I hope I never grow up and remain a child forever in my dreams.

Don’t look yet but Joe Torre is having a second coming in Los Angeles. With just over 120 games played so far in the 2008 baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers (along with the Arizona Diamondbacks) boast the best record in the national league west with 64 wins and 60 losses.

It’s not something Joe Torre or the Los Angeles Dodgers will want to make a great deal of noise about just yet. Bear in mind, the season is still far from over, so there is no comeback until the trophy is lifted in September.

Either way, as far as I am concerned, it’s a remarkable story on two fronts. On one hand we had a Dodgers team that had finished last season (2007) with a so-so record of 82 wins and 80 losses for the 4^th place in the Division further compounded by the end-of-season axing of manager, Grady Little, who had had his own problems with the Dodgers organization throughout the year.

On the other hand, the Yankees, a team with an all or nothing General Manager and “juiced” and overpaid stars who, despite their past successes, were beginning to look like perennial underachievers. Joe Torre all season had the look of a walking caricature disfigured by all the trouble in the world.

Despite all the pressure, the Yankees finished the regular season second behind the Boston Red Sox with a decent enough record of 94 and 68 but was blown out by the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in the first round of the play-offs.

The bitter disappointment was followed by much speculation about Joe Torre’s future. Amazingly, even with the early exit in the play-offs, the manager who had led the Yankees to 4 world championships was offered a one-year contract that would have kept him as the highest-paid manager in all of baseball. Apparently though, Joe had had enough. He opted out of the offer and seemed to have disappeared into the sunset.

In the off-season, Joe Torre apparently had a change of heart. The Dodgers came calling and in November 2007, he signed a contract through to 2010. It hasn’t been sterling but no one can question the improved attitude of Tommy Lasorda’s’ team. You may argue that the 64/60 record is only marginally better than last year’s; but the big difference this time around…they are tied for first place!

If the Dodgers are to complete Joe Torre’s comeback, major hurdles remain. They must improve their losing road record and overcome teams like the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay and the L.A. Angels who are all fighting for the best record in baseball. It won’t be easy but with the recent addition of Manny Ramirez,  they no doubt will feel they have as good a chance as any with the tried and proven former New York Yankee manager at the helm.

and same result.

For Asafa and expectant Jamaicans, it’s not that Asafa is losing these races; but more the dismal 5^th position he has placed in both races…losing to other competitors he would beat on any other given day.

My verdict: Asafa Powell is done! He is now 25 with the next Olympics four years away. Sure, the world championships are in a couple of years; but with the red hot 21 year old Usain Bolt who reminds me so much of the fabled hare (only that this hare is winning), a Tyson Gay who will want blood when he recovers fully, and God knows whichever new kid may just stumble onto the scene, I say expect more of the same disappointing performances from him.

In the end, Asafa will be remembered as one of the greatest letdowns in history. If at 6’ 2” he is considered by many to be the most gifted sprinter of all times; but clearly lacking a good sports psychologist, a tried and proven pre-race system…a system where he is not fidgeting and looking so tense before the start of each race and continued failure to perform on the big day, he will go down in track and field history (and quite possibly all of sports) as one of the biggest “lemons” we have seen!

However, not to take anything away from these amazing feats (especially with world records being set for the 6 gold medals since Sunday) but for me, excitement comes more from seeing a great comeback much like the one pulled off by the USA over the French team in the 400 freestyle relay which helped Michael Phelps pick up his second gold..

Here is the amazing call (unfortunately not the actual video because of terms of use issues)...

Now, just days after, an MSN Money analyst has posted another piece touting the prospects of oil tumbling to $65 per barrel. Unbelievable! And here I was thinking that John Cassidy, the Portfolio.com economist/author featured on our first post, was living in la-la land.

The MSN Money analyst cites two main reasons...the "unmasking of speculators" and "diminished demand". Here are two quotes from the lengthy piece:

Unmasking of Speculators

"...a specialist in the history, composition and psychology of the energy market, believes that speculators were without question behind the run-up of prices to $147 per barrel in July and that government threats to expose and punish their behavior spooked them out of their positions in a hurry.

He says his data on open interest of noncommercial positions in crude trading, as well as conversations with professional traders at big oil companies, clearly show that speculators, and not rising demand from Asia, pushed the market to extremes."

Diminished Demand

"What about all that talk of how supply is running out? Well, it's funny: The spike to $147 seems to have really got people thinking about scarcity, and they've started making plans that could be very long-lasting.

It's sort of like the day a person realizes it's time to stop smoking -- a light-bulb moment of alertness to a long-simmering crisis. Oil bears now think the $147 level was a slap in the face that made major corporate users consider changing their behavior in persistent and fundamental ways."

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Very interesting! I still say though, our Middle East "barons" will have the last say where the price of oil settles but we all know the importance of speculators..er...I mean perceptive investors in economics...in fact, the irony is that the very same speculators who may have played a major riole in driving the price up to almost $150 a barrel may be the very same ones to drive it back down to $65 or even better, to $50...they would have in the process made billions, so what's a few dollars amongst them anyway...