GOP Convention Ready to Start

We rode to the Xcel Center with the Texas delegation, and evoked suspicious looks because are not sporting big hats and big hair. Security is not only tight, but different from what we've seen previously (like when the president spoke last November at the Federalist Society Convention, but then again, we didn't bus it for that event).

In addition to the requisite bomb sniffing dogs, a policeman used a mirror on a long pole to view under the bus; it looked like a giant version of what the dentist uses to check back teeth.

Delegates are trickling in. The focus today will be on satisfying the legal prerequisites to keep the Republican Party a valid entity and to ensure that Democrats have no legal basis to challenge the validity of the McCain-Palin ticket. At a few minutes before 5:00 Central time, Laura Bush will speak briefly to kick off relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Gustav.

Dennis Prager is broadcasting from the lobby. We walked in behind Sen. Orin Hatch, who, rather than shaking hands, was greeting people with a "fist-bump" a la Michelle and Barack Obama.

There are literally thousands of volunteers. These people will help the delegates load the 80,000 comfort boxes for Huricane Gustav, starting tomorrow.

The RNC has not asked the state delegations to cancel their festivities but instead directed that parties be appropriately scaled back in light of the suffering in the Gulf Coast and used as an opportunity to raise funds for the relief efforts.