The lions got their meat. And they roared. Finally the Democratic National Convention, overdosing on Sominex for three days, came to life as John Kerry threw platters of raw filet mignon at the frenzied crowd.

A key line: "I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace. We need a President who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers, and reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home."

"It was a five hundred foot homer," bragged Big Bill as he made the late, late cable TV rounds. The weary Guv, coming off a four day adrenaline high, claimed Kerry took the national security issue off the table. "The Republicans will have a hard time using it against him now," declared Convention Chairman Big Bill.

Phone lines burned across the Land of Enchantment among the Democratic faithful who hailed the new, muscular Kerry. And they relished the controversy that has broken out over Vice- president Cheney's Saturday Rio Rancho, NM visit saying ticket seekers to the event were being asked to sign a pledge of support before they got tickets. The pledge was being required, according to the GOP, because "liberal operatives" were planning to disrupt the Veep's visit.

But it was the Kerry speech, hotter than Hatch green chili, that had the Dems salivating. "It made up for all the dull speeches preceding it," declared one liberal.

Kerry inching closer to an outright anti-war platform was the dinner course that really hit the spot for Dems here who are digesting fresh polls numbers from Zogby interactive showing their man with a nearly ten point lead over the Prez in NM.

"Maintaining the momentum" is now the key to victory, offered Big Bill in his post-mortem. And he is right. A hundred days in politics is forever, but Thursday night time stood still in Campaign 2004 as John Kerry froze the moment and framed the race.

PATSY'S LOYALTY OATH

What New Mexican has the closet ties to the Kerry-Edwards ticket? Big Bill? Maybe not. His rival, Attorney General Patsy Madrid was in her glory last night as she was one of a handful of friends invited to sit with the Edwards family to take in the Kerry stemwinder.

Her friends wasted no time getting the word out. I asked one of them attending the convention with her in Boston just what was the chemistry between the two since they have only been close for a couple of years. "Above all, both Patsy and John value loyalty. She has been extremely loyal to him sticking with him during the darkest hours of his presidential campaign. The two of them are also fighters. John is a fierce trial lawyer and Patsy is equally tough," explained the insider.

There's no hiding the sparks that flare between Big Bill and Patsy, but the big picture is actually good news for New Mexicans. Our little state needs all the friends it can get at the top levels of national power.

WORRIES OVER WINNING

Some Dems are fretting about that latest Zogby poll(see July 29 report) because it could mean NM dropping off the list of battleground states come October. "It may have a dampening effect on Richard Romero's congressional race, as well as Gary King's. They need the troops fully fired up and if Kerry stays this far ahead the enthusiasm level could be dampened," worried one loyal Dem.

The Romero campaign is floating an in-house poll showing them within four points of the GOP Congresswoman Wilson, but they are not releasing the questions asked of voters so its credibility cannot be evaluated.

A Democratic consultant who railed at Romero to do more TV for the June primary is again telling me that Romero needs to be up on the airwaves right now if he plans on winning. That consultant predicted Romero would be held below 60% by Miles Nelson on June 1st and he was right.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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