"I am woman, hear me roar." -- Helen Reddy & Ray Burton

We've reached the finish line of a strange political marathon that's delivered us the presidential tickets of Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin – a contest that's reinventing sexual and racial politics in almost every news cycle.

As the convention is winding down, the Republicans finally found their mojo last night with a strong one-two punch from Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin. Hurricane Gustav clearly is no longer really in the thoughts of anyone, as John McCain is preparing to end the convention and let slip the dogs of war for what will surely be an insane two months on the political battlefield.

The mood in the delegation hotel here was positively giddy in the wake of last night's speeches. Delegates seemed almost hangdog following the convention's first two days, so Giuliani and Palin gave them something to celebrate. The bar last night was packed with Republicans who seemed recharged and also relieved that Palin could walk and talk at the same time. One elderly and tottering Wisconsin delegate was all but bereft of the power of speech as I tried to tell him when McCain is scheduled to speak tonight; we were almost communicating in some sort of strange drunken Midwestern sign language. But he seemed happy.

Because of all the focus on Palin, the Republicans basically flushed away an amazing attack speech against Barack Obama by Rudy Giuliani by forcing the former mayor to appear on the same night as the embattled veep pick. In a withering and sometimes gleeful address to the delegates, Giuliani swung away at Obama with rhetorical flourishes. He made "community organizer" – an early job on Obama's resume – sound almost naughty, while also pumping up Palin's credentials as the Supreme Commander of Alaska.

The speech was so over the top but effective that you almost expected Giuliani to pull off the wings of some flies at the end of his speech. This is the kind of tough-hit job the Republicans are likely going to need to help get them over the top in November – and it might work.

Palin's performance was certainly strong, but the real test for her will be that dreaded first press conference with the political media that the McCain team has no interest in holding. At some point, Palin will be hit with a tough or inane question from some freak show in the press corps that will challenge her. How she handles that question could be the key to her viability. In the mean time, the Democrats will hammer away at her – hoping that she's more Tom Eagleton than Dan Quayle and that she could be the hole in John McCain's gas tank.

As delegates here drearily slouch out of their rooms and search for coffee, it's time for me to pack up and head to the Xcel Center one last time. Every media member is silently mouthing prayers of thanks that we're not trudging to some unknown football stadium on the final day of the convention as we did last week. Invesco Field may have looked great on TV, but it was hell putting on a TV show there on the fly.

I'm thrilled that in just 24 hours, I'll be in the skies, planning tomorrow night's debate between Marty Connor and Dan Squadron. You don't have to go home -- but you can't stay here.

Bob Hardt

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