WORLD NEWS TRUST: Tears and Bookends (Mary Lyon)

Mary Lyon, From The Left

(World News Trust) -- What a great opening night! And what an historic journey the Democratic National Convention highlighted in its kickoff. It was a night of Great Democratic Bookends.

The evening began with America’s little girl, Caroline Kennedy, the embodiment of what many of us remember as the best of times. She’s all we have left of the proverbial Camelot era, that First Family named Kennedy, and the youth, vigor, hope, and sense of renewal it represented. The mature and sophisticated Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg already impacted this convention by vetting its selection for Vice President. Then, she introduced her ailing and beloved “Uncle Teddy." And everyone cried.

The evening ended with America’s TWO little girls. Sasha and Malia, the two little Obama daughters, the younger child only slightly older than Caroline was Back Then. And they were as genuinely adorable as little Caroline and John-John were, spontaneous and loving and precious with their chirping “Hi Daddy!” to the live image of their dad beamed in on big screen from Kansas City, Missouri. It reminded us of what we had Back Then, and what we can recapture yet again. And again, everyone cried.

I must say I was impressed. Full disclosure here, I expected to be. But I didn’t expect to have my heart grabbed, and then squeezed the way you do when you hold hands -- hard. The last seven-and-some years, and the campaign season so far have done little to relieve me of my cynicism. But this night might just have made a good start.

It helped hugely to be reminded of what true, vintage Democratic Party greatness can be, when the ill but still energetic Ted Kennedy appeared. It was good to see him, looking as well and acting as enthusiastic as he did, even while a large chunk of his thick white hair was visibly missing, after many radiation and chemotherapy treatments. It was good to hear him press the case for Democratic values specifically including an end to the war and affordable health care for all. It was encouraging and reaffirming to watch him bravely vow to be there on the floor of the Senate in January to cast votes, and thunder his endorsement of Barack Obama for President. And everyone cried.

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including mine!

I got a real sense of history-in-the-making as I listened to the convention last night.

And the "hi Daddy" stuff from the littlest Obama girl - teeny little one with some still-missing teeth and dimples that Mom had to bend over to talk to (Princess Di did that all the time whenever she was with a group of children). ADORABLE! And they had their hair all curled for the big evening - it was SO cute! It reminded me of being a little girl, and then of having a little girl.

The memory that sticks from last night will be Ted Kennedy and the little Obama girls - who'll probably grow up looking like Iman and Tyra Banks for all we know. They're already beauties like their mother.

And yes, it's history already. When before have we had an African-American woman address a national political convention - AS the soon-to-be-anointed contender for First Lady? When before? This IS historic. And again tonight, we'll have as our featured speaker a first former First Lady who not only did a lot more than bake cookies and have her picture taken with the Girl Scouts. She's the First Woman got thisclose to being the anointed contender for President of the United States - the whole ball-o-wax, not just "wife of". And WE DEMS are the ones who are doing BOTH those things. WE are the party that's moving America forward like that. WE are the party of innovation and courage and forward-thinking and progress. WE are where the fresh new ideas come from, and the people that go with them. WE are the party with room for EVERYONE, all types, all walks, all colors, all faiths, all ages, all backgrounds.

It made me proud. AND we started OUR convention with positive energy to burn. The bad guys are gonna be all-hate-all-the-time, negativity as far as the eye can see. Because that's really who they are and that's really all they've got. Their "president" is a criminal and a jerk, their ideas are for shit, their character is in the garbage, and their word means NOTHING.