"A hunger for change"

It's taken me some time to find a computer, but I finally found one for free at the Curtis Hotel. It's been an amazing experience so far, and I'm sure it's only going to get better. From the moment I got on the plane, I was in the middle of it all. Rahm Emanuel was sitting in first class and I shared a cab with the wife of Obama's finance chair leaving the airport in Denver.

The scene is about what you'd expect -- protesters, pins and political slogans everywhere. I walked down 16th St. to get a bite to eat and was confronted by three loud men shouting about the sins of homosexuality. Minutes later Medea Benjamin and the rest of her Code Pink posse rang their bells as they biked past.

But so much of the media's attention is on the Clinton factor. Indeed, their presence was felt, too, but hardly as strong as the network news would have you believe. There is a group here called PUMA -- Party Unity My Ass -- that is small, but loud. There were five PUMAs walking down the street wearing Hillary shirts and shouting, "Count every vote," "This is about democracy." Those five attention seekers were getting what they wanted; they were surrounded by six different cameras.

There was the expected sight-seeing too. I passed Reps. Charles Rangel and Gwen Moore. I saw Tammy Duckworth and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Everyone's here, walking from panel discussions or lunches or delegation parties.

The real fun, though, started when the sun went down. I was not able to grab a credential to the convention, so I went to the Mariott to watch the speeches in the lobby. I was met by a room full of others who were not able to make it into then Pepsi Center. And while I was not there to hear the roar when Kennedy walked out, it couldn't have been much louder than it was in the hotel lobby. I could not see Maria Shriver wipe tears away in person, but I witnessed others cry.

The Kennedy speech was so inspiring that I almost forgot Michelle Obama was yet to come. By the time her brother finished with her introduction, though, everyone was ready. Her pauses were met with applause, her statements with hoots and hollers. She spoke of the country's "hunger for change," and you could feel that hunger throughout the room. When she finished everyone stood in their seats because they couldn't contain their excitement.

After the speech, I went to a party held by Richard Durbin and Emanuel. Both were there, as was Al Franken, Sens. Bob Casey and Amy Klobuchar. But none of that starpower matched the two minutes when Michelle Obama walked onto the tiny stage and spoke for two minutes, thanking the crowd and the crowd's hosts.

Note: I have taken several other pictures with my phone since arriving, but am experiencing technical difficulties. I will try to upload them later. Be sure to check back.