Yesterday afternoon, we went to a reception sponsored by the Vets for Freedom project. It was a salute to our troops and it was held at a restored train depot. It was a beautiful facility, the food was great and it was an honor to be among so many of our American heroes.  Among the many attendees were members of the cast of the movie “An  American Carol” that we saw on Sunday. For the first time in my life, I met an academy award winner. Jon Voight was kind enough to pose for a picture! It was a thrill. I also had a chance to talk with Kevin Farley, the star of the movie. He was as nice a guy as you will ever meet and looks just like his deceased brother Chris. We heard from several speakers, including Mr. Voight, who is rumored to be eyeing a run for the senate in California. We also heard from Colonel Bud Day, who was a POW with Senator McCain in the Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam and a medal of honor winner. What an amazing man. He escaped from the prison camp and walked in the jungle for weeks, surviving on berries, rain water and raw frogs, only to be recaptured and tortured by the Vietcong. He spoke of the values of character, judgment and resolve, all of which Senator McCain has in spades. It was a moving tribute.

Then it was off to the Xcel Center for the second day of the convention. The place was packed with even more people and reporters than the first day. The convention was back on track with only a few minor changes. The clear highlight of the night was the keynote address by former Senator Fred Thompson. It was by far the best speech he’s ever delivered and one of the best I’ve ever heard. Had he given more like that on the campaign trail, he might be the one accepting the nomination tomorrow night. President George H.W. Bush was there, as was the entire Bush family, except President George W. Bush, who addressed us from the White House via satellite. He was clearly moved as he described the strength of character of Senator McCain and urged us all to work hard for his election. The final speaker of the evening was Senator Joe Lieberman, the Democrat candidate for Vice President in 2000. He gave a strong defense of why he was supporting Senator McCain for president and pointedly noted that, though a fine person,  Senator Obama was not ready to be the President of the United States. The convention was electric last night. The excitement was palbable as speaker after speaker hailed the McCain/Palin ticket and we all look forward to hearing from our two candidates in the nights to come.

After the convention, we attended a party sponsored by McGuireWoods Consulting. I saw many old friends there, including the head of my lawfirm, Tom Cabiness and Frank Atkinson of McGuireWoods Consulting. Also in attendance were former Senator George Allen and his wife Susan and former Governor Jim Gilmore. The party was held at the Nyes Polonaise Room, a venerable institution in Minneapolis. The venue had three floors and on the top floor, we listen to the “Worlds Most Dangerous Polka Band”. I must confess, I’d never been to a “polka bar” before, but it was a lot of fun.

Tonight is the big night where we get to meet our next Vice President, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has been and will continue to be the talk of this convention and we are all excited to hear from her.

Bryan

Day Two began with the Virginia Delegation breakfast, featuring a speech from pundit Kelly Anne Conway. This afternoon, many of us will be attending a Veteran’s Reception followed by a Pro-Life reception. Tonight’s session will feature speeches from Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Fred Thompson, another appearance by First Lady Laura Bush and an appearance via satellite from President Bush. Thus far, the Virginia Delegation has not been affected by any violence from protestors. Hopefully, our luck will continue. It’s raining in Minneapolis today. Hopefully, that won’t put too much of a damper on the convention as we attempt to get back on track after yesterday’s abbreviated session.

Bryan

On Day Two, the Republican National Convention will attempt to get back to normal after Hurricane Gustav altered the schedule yesterday. Today began with the morning breakfast with the Virginia Delegation and a speech from political pundit Kelly Anne Conway. This afternoon, many of us will be attending a Veteran’s Celebration in St. Paul, followed by a Pro-Life Reception and the second day of the convention. Tonight’s schedule will feature Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Fred Thompson, another appearance from First Lady Laura Bush and an address from President Bush via satellite. I saw the reports of other delegations being assaulted by protestors. Fortunately, as far as I know, the Virginia Delegation has been spared any violence thus far. It’s raining in Minneapolis today. Hopefully, that won’t put too much of a damper on the festivities this afternoon.

Bryan

Our afternoon session began with a luncheon reception with the Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio delegations at a local performing arts center. The food was great and it was nice to mingle with our friends from other states. We were then bused from there to the XCel Energy Center for a shortened version of the first session. On the way in, a few protestors shouted onscenities at the bus, but they were few in number. The walk through security was actually very smooth, as the police had plenty of metal detectors and officers working. After breezing through the lines, we entered the convention center. The place is cavernous. There are booths for national and international networks and the place is crawling with media. There must be hundreds of cameras wandering the floor filming the delegates. After gaveling the convention to order, Chairman Duncan urged the delegates to text a phone number that allowed us to make a donation to hurricane relief. After electing Senator Mitch McConnell the convention temporary chair, the body recessed to allow the committees to meet. After about an hour, the convention started up again with the various committees reporting to the body. The place then erupted in applause as First Lady Laura Bush took the stage to address the delegates. She gave a good speech focusing on hurricane relief efforts. She was soon joined by the next First Lady, Cindy McCain who also briefly addressed the group. The convention was then adjourned for the day. The trip back to the hotel was as uneventful and smooth as the trip to the center. The people of Minneapolis and St. Paul have done a terrific job with organization and transportation. That’s it for Day One from the Republican  National Convention.

Bryan

The first official day of the Republican National Convention began with a breakfast for the Virginia Delegation at our hotel. We were treated to speeches from several leaders, including Ken Blackwell, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Secretary of Agriculture James Block and California Congressman Dan Lundgren. The highlights of the morning came from two true American heroes. Major General Patrick Henry Brady, a medal of honor winner, hailed Senator McCain’s experience, judgment and positions on the issues. He had the line of the morning when he said “Progress is a good thing for America-progressives are not.” We also heard from Orson Swindle, who was a POW with Senator McCain in Vietnam. He is also a Virginia Delegate and described his experience with Senator McCain and his resolve while a prisoner of war. All of the speakers spoke highly of Governor Palin and her selection as Senator Mccain’s running mate. One of the speakers recounted her numerous political positions and executive leadership experience and noted that the only thing she has not done is worked as a “community organizer.” We also heard from Congresswoman Thelma Drake and Virginia’s next governor, Bob McDonnell. Most of us will  be attending a circus sponsored by Dominion later this morning and then heading for the convention and an abbreviated session this afternoon.

Bryan

The Virginia Delegation Welcoming Party was a blast. The food was great and it was nice to see alot of old friends. Congresswoman Thelma Drake was there, as well as Congressman Tom Davis, former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (who was as sunburned as I was after the UVA-USC football game yesterday), current Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General and future Governor Bob McDonnell.  Also there was RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick and his wife Amy. Chairman Frederick announced that the Virginia Delegation would be taking up a collection for hurricane relief and everyone donated generously.  The talk of the party was Senator McCain’s selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Though I’ve seen some dissenting opinions of the pick in various publications, there is no doubt that the pick has energized the Virginia delegation. I didn’t hear one person speak negatively of her selection. We all just hope that we get a chance to meet her at some point during the convention.

Next up: a Virginia delegation breakfast in the morning followed by a circus and an abbreviated convention schedule tomorrow afternoon. We all hope and pray for our fellow Americans facing Hurricane Gustav on the Gulf Coast.

Bryan

I made it to Minneapolis. In light of the state of modern aviation, it was a remarkably uneventful trip. All flights were either on time or early and the airline didn’t lose my luggage. Passage from the airport to the hotel was smooth and there were many volunteers along the way to help out. Needless to say, everyone is talking about the hurricane and its effect on the convention. All of our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Gulf Coast.  Of course, we are disappointed that the convention is being disrupted, but our minor inconvenience is nothing compared to what the people of Lousiana, Texas and Mississippi are facing. The convention tomorrow has been significantly shortened and will only consist of necessary business, which will likely last approximately two hours,  instead of the ten hours previously scheduled.  As for today, the first event was a private screening of a new movie entitled “An American Carol”. It’s by the same producer who did “The Naked Gun”. It’s essentially a farce of political correctness in the age of radical islamic terrorism and pokes fun at Michael Moore and organizations such as moveon.org. It starts Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer and Jon Voight, all of whom, except Grammer, appeared on stage after the screening. The movie is hillarious, though it will undoubtedly offend some people. It was nice to get a little taste of Hollywood to start the convention. We then attended a Delegate Party at the Minneapolis Convention Center. At the center of the venue was Civic Fest 2008, which highlighted various achievements of Americans over the years and had several displays of memorabelia, including a replica of Air Force One, a presidential limo and several gowns worn by first ladies. I had my picture taken next to a live twenty-seven year old bald eagle! The food was plentiful and everyone had a great time. The trip back to the hotel was easy, as volunteers were stationed throughout the venue to direct everyone to the appropriate buses which whisked us back to our hotel. The Virginia Delegation is staying at the same hotel as the delegation from the United States Virgin Islands. Next up on the agenda-The Virginia Delegation Welcoming Party.

Bryan

I am a Republican Delegate from Virginia and I will be blogging from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.  I am thrilled and honored to represent Virginia and my hometown of Portsmouth at this momentous event. With Senator McCain’s bold choice of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, Republicans will not only nominate the most qualified and experienced person as our presidential candidate, we will also make history by nominating the first woman to run for vice-president on the Republican ticket.  I fly out Sunday morning and barring any unexpected aviation mishaps, I will land in St. Paul around 2pm. 

I look forward to sharing my convention experience.

Bryan