Don't say there weren’t plenty of ambient points tonight for the convention scribes to get harried about tomorrow:
-The song blaring over the speakers as the McCains and Palins waved from the stage at the end of the night wasn’t the “Maverick” theme song, but Heart’s “Barracuda,” a rather conspicuously timed ode to Palin’s nickname during her basketball-playing days.
-The backdrop screen went from a repeat puke green (excited bloggers on that here, here and here) to a firework display (accompanied by what sounded rather jarringly over my speakers like popcorn audio effects).
-McCain didn't wear a flag pin. (Gasp.)
-Did the RNC’s choice of balloons as festive air-filler stem from last week’s streamer debacle?
Did anyone witness the bizarre unscripted moment on MSNBC, where Andrea Mitchell was unable to report from the floor due to being literally drowned in balloons? It started off rather humorously, with Mitchell wearily batting balloon after balloon away while muttering into the mic like an old man cursing the kids on his lawn. "Balloons.....so many.....balloons....this is.....Andrea.....Mitchell." But then we switched to Brokaw and Williams, and they chuckled like frat boys watching hot oil wrestling. Then to Matthews, more chuckles. Then, inexplicably, BACK to Mitchell, still batting and muttering. This went on for a solid five minutes! I suppose it was an amusing moment of banal jocularity directly following McCain's equally banal speech, but I and others were certainly looking for some kind of analysis.
Fittingly, once I'd finally had enough of this and switched to CNN, what do I see but Wolf Blitzer batting a balloon to Anderson Cooper.