Thursday look-ahead

And so it ends tonight.

Hurricane Isaac, which came into this world as Tropical Storm Isaac is once again Tropical Storm Isaac as it ravages the Gulf Coast, but only at an 8 m.p.h. clip, and, thankfully, sparing New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

After pushing the Republican National Convention's start date back a day, Isaac graciously allowed the GOP party to carry on, giving voice to Mitt Romney's wife Ann, Utah congressional candidate Mia Love and vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

You know the drill. Scheduled events begin at the Tampa Bay Times Forum at 7 p.m. ET. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his third wife Callista speak during the 7 p.m. hour, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 8 p.m., the so-called "mystery speaker" at 9 p.m. and, finally, the Mittster at 10 p.m.

RNC speeches: Paul Ryan's and Condoleezza Rice's

Just in case you missed Paul Ryan's fiery speech, here it is:

 

Earlier Wednesday evening, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke:

 

 

Republican convention recap, day 2

Paul Ryan waves after speaking during the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 29, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Paul Ryan accepted the vice-presidential nomination, promising "we will not duck the tough issues" and "before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation's economic problems."

Condoleezza Rice gave her speech, winning big cheers from the crowd for an unusually passionate address touching on foreign policy, her childhood, and education reform. The transcript is here.

Pundits analyzed the previous day's speeches. The Wall Street Journal has a roundup of the best articles on Chris Christie. The New York Times says Ann Romney is "so gifted at politics." The New Yorker says she is appealing to the "mousy majority."

Yahoo News fired their Washington news chief for making a joke about Republicans and Hurricane Isaac. David Chalian was heard saying to an unidentified guest, "feel free to say, ‘They're not concerned at all. They are happy to have a party with black people drowning'".

Two people attending the RNC were removed Tuesday after tossing peanuts at a black camera operator and saying: “This is how we feed animals.”

And Hurricane Isaac continues to pummel the Mississippi coast and has toppled Louisiana levees.

RNC: Live blog of Republican convention Day 2

The Star's team of reporters live blogged the prime time show on Wednesday from the floor of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Here's their real-time take on events, starting from the beginning:

Ari Fleischer: Mitt needs to get funnier

Ari Fleischer, who served as George W. Bush's press secretary, told me this afternoon that Mitt Romney needs to get funnier if he is going to get people to like him more. The video:

 

Michele Bachmann fawns over Newt Gingrich for the cameras

Michele Bachmann harshly criticized Newt Gingrich when they were competing for the Republican nomination. That didn't stop Bachmann from fawning over Gingrich when he approached her at the convention centre's "radio row" on Wednesday.

When she spotted him, she affectionately called him "Newtie," which Newt Gingrich should never be called, and later deemed him "the smartest guy on the planet." In between, they talked about Ann Romney's Welsh cakes.

Bachmann had nice things to say about both Ann and Gingrich's wife Callista. The video:

 

How Paul Ryan captured the G.O.P.

The New Yorker's Washington Correspondent profiles Paul Ryan:

"Ryan’s long-range plan was straightforward: to create a detailed alternative to Obama’s budget and persuade his party to embrace it"

Ryan, we learn, once worked at McDonald's and was elected "Biggest Brown Noser" in his senior year of high school.

READ MORE

Mark Sanford, "Appalachian Trail" governor, talks about engagement to former mistress

Is that...is that...

Yes, Republican convention attendees, it's the one and only Mark Sanford, live in the flesh, newly engaged to the mistress from Argentina whom he famously disappeared to see in Buenos Aires while governor of South Carolina.

Sanford in made the rounds on "radio row" on Wednesday afternoon, four days after he confirmed that he is now engaged to Maria Belen Chapur. Here he is with conservative host Armstrong Williams:

In 2009, when Sanford was still a married governor, he disappeared to see Chapur in Buenos Aires. He told his staff, who told reporters, that he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail."

He became a national laughingstock. But he garnered at least some sympathy when he gave a tearful news conference in which he called Chapur his "soulmate." His wife, Jenny, filed for divorce later in the year, and she wrote a scathing book in 2010.

Sanford confirmed in a Saturday statement that he and Chapur are now engaged. On Wednesday, he told the Star that the reaction to the announcement has been "really pleasant and overwhelming and most kind."

Asked if he had feared the reaction, he said, "Well, every step of life is a new step of life, so, you know, you enter any new step of life with some degree of trepidation. But, you know, you see the people coming up and introducing themselves. If you walk with me, you'll see the reaction, which has just been overwhelmingly positive and kind."

He would not reveal the wedding plans. "I'm not gonna let you make news on that front," he said.

Possibly in Sanford's future: confessional writing. One woman on radio row approached him to ask if he would participate in a book she is publishing. The subject: "redemption."

The Cat And The Mitt's a hit

Amid the barkers and the jesters and the Occupy folks and the plain-barking-mad working the margins in Tampa, Loren Spivack may well be the happiest camper of the lot.

Spivack, 46, is a "business consultant" and self-styled "free-market warrior" from Amherst, Mass. Or at least he used to be. But here in at RNC Spivack's turbo-conservative children's book parody, The Cat And The Mitt, is, emerging as the go-to souvenir for many GOP faithful.

Toronto Star: "So does this mean you're a writer now?"

Spivack, with slight surprise: "I suppose I am?!? I've sold many thousands of these. This is really fun. And somewhat lucrative. I guess this will be my occupation."

The book riffs along in Suess-speak, starring President Barack Obama as the reckless feline. Example: "'Let's be clear,'" said the cat/I know just what to do/I'll take over GM/And then Chrysler too!"

Spivack is already thinking sequel, though he won't say if the next hardcover parody will play on Dr. Suess or draw inspiration elsewhere.

"It depends how the election goes. If Obama gets re-elected, I might be looking at The Cat Came Back," he said.

 

 

 

Obama is on Reddit

UPDATE: Obama is online

 

Obama is answering any and all questions on Reddit, the popular online community famous for spreading memes, and, more recently, reporting news stories.

"Hey everybody - this is barack. Just finished a great rally in Charlottesville, and am looking forward to your questions. At the top, I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, and to let them know that we are going to be coordinating with state and local officials to make sure that we give families everything they need to recover."

Some questions and answers: