Most Offensive Moments of Tonight’s RNC:

Okay, to be fair, I actually think that tonight’s Republican speeches were generally well-delivered and got the job done. Bush didn’t screw up everything, Thompson threw the base a lot of red meat and a colorful biography of McCain the war hero, and Lieberman made a measured appeal to Democrats and Independents.

But, outside of my fundamental ideological animosity toward these folks, a few things really cheesed me off tonight:

1. Applauding George W. Bush as he came on screen to give a live video address. I understand this is a formality, but come on people–he screwed you over just as much as he did we liberal-minded citizens.

2. The fact that people cheered and hollered maniacally when Fred Thompson said that Sarah Palin “is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose.” I can see this warranting a chuckle, but the crowd went wild. God help us all.

3. Thompson’s suggestions that Barack Obama has only “talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit” rather than governed anything effectively. This is just untrue.

4. Fred Thompson’s assertion that McCain is someone we “know” who can “be trusted with the presidency.” This isn’t just a statement on McCain, it’s also a nod to the fears that Obama is an un-American outsider who is so different–and possibly dangerous–that we don’t know if he has our best interests at heart. Way to surreptitiously play the race card, Thompson.

5. Joe Lieberman trying to co-opt the Obama campaign narrative by calling for unity, cooperation, and an end to partisan bickering. This from a guy who’s M.O. has been sowing the seeds of discord within his party on some of the biggest issues of our time. Oh, and his claim that McCain will “stand for what he thinks is right regardless of politics” is just laughable. John Kerry said it best in his DNC speech last week:

I have known and been friends with John McCain for almost 22 years. But every day now I learn something new about candidate McCain. To those who still believe in the myth of a maverick instead of the reality of a politician, I say, let’s compare Senator McCain to candidate McCain.

Candidate McCain now supports the wartime tax cuts that Senator McCain once denounced as immoral. Candidate McCain criticizes Senator McCain’s own climate change bill. Candidate McCain says he would now vote against the immigration bill that Senator McCain wrote. Are you kidding? Talk about being for it before you’re against it.

I’ve posted a video of Kerry’s speech below as an antidote to tonight’s RNC nonsense. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t seen it–this was really one of the best performances of Kerry’s long career.