Well, I got through that without watching so much as five minutes of it. I suppose that, as a political blogger, I was sort of obliged to cover the convention, but I have a good reason for not doing so:

I didn't want to.

What the hell could they say, after all? Figure I'll be different and provide a little counter-programming.

But, now that it's over, let me quote two key Kerry applause lines:

We wil fight a smarter war on terror. We will employ every weapon in our arsenal-- economic as well as military. Principle as well as firepower.

Wow. I figure Al Qaeda is just quivering over that threat.

Until, that is, they realize that "principle" is not in fact a weapon. It is the opposite of a weapon: it's a restraint on one's behavior. An often virtuous restraint, to be sure, but then, the forces of darkness do not tremble at the thought of their enemies behaving civilly towards them.

And that's precisely what John French Kerry promised them. Principle, and plenty of it.

Combining Edwards' and Kerry's promises: We will destroy Al Qaeda-- with principle.

Personally, I prefer killing or capturing as many of these animals as possible, and I'm not very particular as to how that might come to be. I like sausages enough to not question the manner by which the slaughterer and butcher bring them to my table.

Principle is an expensive virtue. It is often worth the costs. It is not worth the costs when we are threatened with thousands of American deaths in one day. If John Kerry fights this war with "principle," I hope he explains to the families of the next victims of terrorism why the abstract notion of principle was more important that doing everything in his power -- everything in his power -- to save their loved ones' lives.

I have a feeling the families of the dead Americans will end up preferring a war fought with more conventional weapons. And -- shivers! -- occasionally some rough handling of captured Al Qaeda mass-murderers.

Next quote:

[speaking about the Woodstock Moment:] It was a time for marching. Marching for civil rights, marching for voters' rights. For the environment, and for women. And for peace. We believed we could change the world, and guess what? We did."

Ahem. This shows the entire problem with liberalism, which remains firmly trapped in a timewarp in which it is always the Summer of Fuckin' Love.

We're in the middle of a war against the most savage animals we've ever faced -- and in terms of pure animal savagery directed towards Americans and American troops, they're far worse than the Nazis -- and this sixties throwback is talking about marching for goddamned peace.

Peace.

War is Over,
if you want it...
War is Over,
if you want it...

Everything is seen by liberal boomers through the prisms of their misspent, selfish, pampered youths, and through their one great triumph over war itself, their campaign to surrender in Vietnam.

If John French Kerry does win this election-- pass the joint. If our commander in chief is going to remain beclouded in a skunky fog of pot and juvenile naivete left hardened over forty fucking years of ignorance and stupidity like so much bong-resin spilled on the floor of your flower-spangled VW Bug, I might as well get stoned while I wait for my own anhiliation.

But when New York is bomed -- this time, bombed hard enough to shut down large sections of the city and leave me dead -- I'll at least be comforted by the notion that John Kerry confronted my killers with principle.