Clinton has been about to take the stage “any second now” for ten minutes, it seems.

Sean Hannity is chatting with Karl Rove. Rove expects a full-throated endorsement of Obama. I suggest instead we’ll see another Hillary-style incredibly well delivered, but substantively inadequate, speech. Just as Senator Clinton didn’t praise Obama much, President Clinton is likely to similarly focus on “big themes” and what he wants to see, rather than how great Obama is. I expect a fair amount of Republicans=evil, of course.

Clinton walks on to “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”. I have never seen so many Democrats waving American flags before. It’s like Flagfest in 2008 in there. To top this, John McCain is going to need to wear a flag. Hillary and Chelsea aren’t waving flags, but just about everybody else is.

The crowd will not stop cheering President Clinton. Hillary has the glassy look of someone who is being upstaged bigtime. Clinton is asking the crowd to hush now, we have to get on with the show. He decides to just start talking over them, and again asks them to sit down, but they aren’t. They’re starting to chant “Bill, Bill Bill”. Boy he’s really trying to damp down the praise. “I love this, and thank you, but we have important work to do tonight.”

Michelle Obama looks similarly unpleased at the continuing adulation. “This should be Barack’s love!”

Clinton cracks that he’s here to open for Joe Biden. Makes a crack that the primary was so hot it increased global warming.

He’s proud of his wife’s great, great campaign.

Hmm, well, he’s leading off with how much he and Hillary are going to do to elect Barack Obama. A jibe at Obama about how important the Clintons are, with 18 million voters on her side.

Our nation is in trouble, on two fronts. American dream under siege at home, leadership in the world has been weakened. Here comes the economy litany, so I’m going to take the opportunity to run to the bathroom. Segues into a list of Bush administration failures.

Next president has to fix the American dream and restore America’s world leadership. Wow, way to load Obama down with an impossibly high standard, Bill! And Barack is apparently the man to do this amazing job. Obama is terrific - he is articulate and smart and wonderful. (Well, so much for my guess!) His policies are superior to the Republican alternatives.

The long primary tested and strengthened Obama (see, the Clintons helped!) and his selection of Joe Biden is apparently “hitting it out of the park”. Joe Biden’s vast experience and wisdom, supporting Barack’s insight and instincts, will give us the national security leadership we need. Hmm, isn’t having an experienced VP backing up the more emotion-driven leader the big meme among lefties about Bush-Cheney? Bill is a genius at praising Obama with one hand and slandering him with the other.

When Obama is president, we will have fewer enemies. Apparently deciding that an enemy isn’t a threat means he isn’t an enemy anymore, or maybe its the Obama charisma that will turn enemies into friends.

Now we’re into a relisting of great things Clinton wants to see done, and that Obama will apparently be able to do. Diplomacy first, military force as a last resort, that’s how Obama will run things. (Same as every other president in the history of the United States.) When Obama can’t convert adversaries into partners (ok, my sarcasm was apparently the actual causal mechanism being proposed), he will stand up to them.

More about the economy must be strong. (Hey, let’s tax the rich! That always causes economic growth.)

The world is better moved by the power of our example, than by the example of our power. That’s a good line.

Now some more Republican crimes. A lot of vigorous head shaking from Hillary. Health care, military overdeployment, Katrina. “America can do better that, and Barack Obama will do better than that.”

That got some good applause.

“But first we have to elect him. The choice is clear.”

John McCain is a good man, heroic service, terrible suffering, loves his country, isn’t an orthodox right-wing tool. But he’s wrong on the two big issues of the election, rebuilding the American dream and restoring American leadership. Agrees with the evil right-wing theory that is running the government. (Not sure which right-wing evil is being invoked here.) Republican leadership on the economy has ruined everything after Bill Clinton made everything wonderful in his term.

John McCain pushes bad policies. Bandaids for health care, etc. Going it alone in the world, instead of building shared opportunities. Four more years. In this case, the third time is not the charm. Lot of laughter and applause for that one.

16 years ago, he had the honor of leading the party to victory and bringing the nation to peace and prosperity. Republicans said that Clinton was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief. That didn’t work in 1992 (probably because Clinton did have executive experience.) Barack Obama is on the right side of history.

Switching to floaty rhetoric now. A lot of jabby finger gestures. More praise for Biden. Barack Obama will lead us away from the division and fear of the evil Bush Years, back to community and hope. (Ah, he had to get “hope” in there!) If you believe America must be a place for hope, then you have to vote Obama.

God bless you!

His energy level started really high but declined quickly; the middle and early end were pretty downbeat, relative to his best. Came up somewhat at the end. Well, I was wrong - there was some praise of Obama and some Obama love - and plenty of Republicans=evil.