KEITH OLBERMANN:  We rejoin you from denver after the democratic convention has wrapped up in a speech that laid out his policy vision.  Before we get to that, Howard, I want to read something that is on the Washington Post website about next week in Saint Paul and whether or not there will be a next week in St. Paul.  The headline is the GOP considers delaying convention.  Republicans said they are considering delaying the start of the convention because of tropical storm Gustav which may hit as a full-force hurricane next week.  They are also talking about whether president bush should cancel his scheduled appearance.  That is some reaction to the Obama speech.

HOWARD FINEMAN:  Yeah, well, maybe they decided after seeing this thing here tonight to pack it in all together.  Having watched this event here tonight, Keith, from a spot on the 50 yard line, so i could see it clearly.  It was amazing. everybody made jokes about the Greek temple on stage.  When Barack Obama challenged John McCain, it was almost as if this whole place had turned into a roman amphitheater.  And he was calling out McCain saying look, let's see who is tough enough to be tougher in this arena. it was a remarkable moment visually and politically in which obama called out and challenged John McCain in a way that the McCain campaign did not expect.  You know when the hit the McCain campaign when the people close to them said that Obama was too negative.  When the McCain campaign is saying that your opponent is too negative, you know that you probably scored.

OLBERMANN:  Tell me about, tell me about this prospect that the Washington Post is reporting that because fear of conducting a political convention while there is a hurricane related crisis perhaps in the gulf region again.  Is there a serious prospect?  And to what date would they postpone it?

FINEMAN:  Well, I think it is highly unlikely.  What they are planning for sure is to have a low-key alternative to this convention. there is nothing to top this in terms of drama, spectacle, celebrity and expense.  McCain is going to say look, I'm just your humble servant.  They talked about doing the conventions in the round.  They will have short speeches and you will see lots of videos.  Most of the speeches will be narrated by Robert Duvall to add that tough-guy attitude.  That is what they are planning to dot there is no way that we can out-glamor what barack obama has done.  But they didn't expect this calling out from barack obama where he is poking John McCain in his cave there, saying i dare you to come out and do battle with me.  I think the McCain people will resist the temptation to double down on the combat.  That conflicts with what they have been planning to do, which is to from the moment the convention started to the moment it ended, he is not ready.  Obama knew that.  In politics you defend your perimeter.  Obama is not that worried about the economic issues.  He has that on this side.  You defend your perimeter.  The vulnerable perimeter for obama is commander in chief.  He walked out to that perimeter and challenged mccain face-to-face.

CHRIS MATTHEWS:  Could it be that the secret weapon they have been holding under wraps for all of these weeks is tim pawlenty?

FINEMAN:  He plays right into it. because he is an unassuming guy who worked his way through college in law school and is not a big fancy name.  It will play into the developing theme of the mccain campaign which is, there is no way that they will out big time obama.  They will go small. they will go unassuming.  That is what they have to do to play what the cards that are dealt them.  Obama took a lot from them tonight.

OLBERMANN: Thank you, Howard.  There is one bit of irony here to the prospect of the GOP postponing because of weather.  You may remember the functionary from Dr. James Dobson, from focus on the family had prayed for rain tonight.

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