Susan Page declares: “It is Paul Ryan's party now.” He “signaled the emergence of a more conservative, more combative generation of leaders who are reshaping the Republican Party.”

Ron Brownstein: “Paul Ryan’s forceful but prosaic acceptance speech on Wednesday continued one of the campaign’s most surprising strategic twists: the Republican effort to take the offensive on Medicare. Although polls show that Ryan’s proposal to transform Medicare into a premium-support, or voucher, system still faces enormous public skepticism, he aggressively insisted that President Obama’s health care plan represents the real threat to the giant program for the elderly.”

Molly Ball: “At the Republican convention Wednesday night, there was indeed a lofty, high-minded speech, one that managed to forcefully articulate a conservative world view without cheap partisan attacks or facts stretched to the breaking point. But it wasn't Ryan's -- it was delivered by Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state. Rice's address had a sophistication, ease, and grace almost never found in modern political speeches. It was a speechwriter's speech, the kind you could imagine reading in a history book. She spoke with a diplomat's formality and the teleprompter turned off, glancing only occasionally at her notes on the podium.”

National Journal fact-checks some of the GOP speakers yesterday. 

“Tuning in to the Republican National Convention this week, viewers could be forgiven for thinking they had switched on the Democratic convention of yesteryear, what with all the up-and-coming women and minority politicians taking the stage,” National Journal writes. “It’s a contrast with Democrats, who will trot out a bunch of timeworn white guys next week in Charlotte to help make the party’s case to the nation.”  

Let’s be fair, though: The Democrats’ keynote speaker is Hispanic and the president of the United States is black.

“Critics have for many years inveighed against ‘false equivalence’ or ‘false balance’ in the mainstream press. This long crusade has finally achieved its grail, or at least a version of it: In this campaign season, political reporters have been shucking the old he-said-she-said formulation and directly declaring that certain claims are false,” The Atlantic’s Bennet writes, adding, however, “But what if it turns out that when the press calls a lie a lie, nobody cares? … Instead of being able to stand above the fray as some sort of neutral arbiter of the truth, the press may be finding that it is winding up on one side of a new kind of he-said-she-said argument.” 

“South Carolina state Rep. Alan Clemmons (R), the author of a voter ID law considered discriminatory by the Justice Department, testified in federal court that, ‘while crafting the bill, he had responded favorably to a friend's racist email in support of the measure,’ McClatchy reports,” Political Wire clips. “An email from Ed Koziol said that if the legislature offered a reward for voter identification cards, ‘it would be like a swarm of bees going after a watermelon.’ Clemmons responded: ‘Amen, Ed, thank you for your support.’”

Ron Fournier on “how and why the Romney campaign is playing the race card”: After opening with a powerful anecdote with a Detroit firefighter, he writes, “Working-class whites, in other words, are already more prosperous and secure than working-class minorities, but they’re less optimistic because they don’t believe they’re climbing anymore. They’re simply trying to hold on to what they’ve got, and see others grabbing at it. Thanks to Romney, they see minorities grabbing at their way of life every day and all day in the inaccurate welfare ad. It opens with a picture of Bill Clinton (a man obsessed with Macomb County and Reagan Democrats) signing the 1996 welfare reform act, which shifted the benefits from indefinite government assistance to one pushing people into employment and self-reliance.” 

More: “Why ignore fact-checkers? First, internal GOP polling and focus groups offer convincing evidence that the welfare ad is hurting Obama.  Second, the welfare issue, generally speaking, triggers anger in white blue-collar voters that is easily directed toward Democrats. This information comes from senior GOP strategists who have worked both for President Bush and Romney. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution. Furthermore, a senior GOP pollster said he has shared with the Romney camp surveys showing that white working-class voters who backed Obama in 2008 have moved to Romney in recent weeks ‘almost certainly because of the welfare ad. We’re talking a (percentage) point or two, but that could be significant.’”

He concludes: “That ad is exploiting the worst instincts of white voters – as predicted and substantiated by the Republican Party’s own polling. That leaves one inescapable conclusion: The Romney campaign is either recklessly ignorant of the facts, some of which they possess – or it is lying about why (and how) it is playing the race card.”

McKay Coppins: “In its first sustained and organized attempt to woo Hispanic outreach this election cycle, the Romney campaign is preparing a major post-convention blitz aimed at wooing Latinos in Florida. … The effort will include a dramatic increase in Spanish-language ad spending, an aggressive bilingual mail program geared toward early voter turnout, and an ambitious ground game led by 13 full-time field staffers dedicated solely to courting Hispanics — more, the aide claimed, than ‘any other Republican presidential campaign in history.’ The stakes are high: Swings of a few percentage points among Hispanic voters in Florida, as in other crucial states, could easily swing the election.”

The reason for doing this is obvious. According to the NBC/WSJ/Telemundo poll, Romney was down nearly 40 points with Hispanic voters. Further, in Florida, Obama won Florida because of Hispanics, more so than any other group, be it African Americans or young voters. In 2004, George W. Bush won Latinos in Florida. In 2008, Obama won them. It was a 27-point reversal, a larger swing than with any other group. If Romney can’t cut into that margin, he’s going to have a hard time winning, especially in a place like Florida. 

Political Wire clips: “Mitt Romney helped secure a federal bailout to keep Bain & Company from collapsing, according to government documents obtained by Rolling Stone. ‘Even worse, the federal bailout ultimately engineered by Romney screwed the FDIC - the bank insurance system backed by taxpayers - out of at least $10 million. And in an added insult, Romney rewarded top executives at Bain with hefty bonuses at the very moment that he was demanding his handout from the feds.’”

There’s a headline the Romney people didn’t want: “Jane Romney: My Brother Won't Ban Abortion.” “A ban on abortion is ‘never going to happen’ under a Romney administration, Jane Romney said. ‘Women would take to the streets. Women fought for our choice, we’re not going to go back,’” she told National Journal.

“President Barack Obama says the nation should consider mobilizing behind a constitutional amendment process to overturn the Supreme Court ruling that loosened restrictions on money in politics,” the AP writes. 

Obama’s not watching the GOP convention. "When the TV is on and the President is in the room, it's usually ESPN," said White House press secretary Jay Carney, per USA Today.

TAMPA, Fla. – Paul Ryan stressed what he said was a shared desire with Mitt Romney to confront the nation’s most difficult challenges in an upbeat, if ideologically unflinching, speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination.

The Wisconsin congressman joined other Republicans on the second night of the Republican National Convention in attempting to refocus the fall campaign on big issues, deploying diverse GOP voices to make a broad appeal to independents.

Ryan, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez received rock star welcomes from delegates in Tampa with speeches extolling nominee-in-waiting Mitt Romney and the virtues of leadership. 

"When Gov. Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, 'Let’s get this done,'" Ryan said in his speech formally accepting the party's vice presidential nomination. "And that is exactly, what we’re going to do."

Ryan’s speech was both a plea for unity – he urged voters to “come together for the sake of our country” – and an emotional and ideological appeal, a type of clarion call that has endeared Ryan with conservatives.

Related: Future leaders on display at GOP convention

It was arguably the most important speech of Ryan’s political career, leveling an indictment of President Barack Obama on taxes, entitlements and energy while acclaiming Romney as a decisive leader and the best-suited candidate to lead a turn around in the economy.

"These past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House," he said. "What’s missing is leadership in the White House!"

The Wisconsin congressman's speech punctuated a prime-time lineup of speakers geared at painting the GOP as a party of principle and opportunity.

Rice, the former top diplomat for President George W. Bush (who was the subject of a tribute earlier in the evening, along with his father, President George H.W. Bush), weaved together her personal narrative about overcoming segregation and other barriers into a case for American exceptionalism.

Her reflection about overcoming Jim Crow laws to become secretary of state proved to be one of the evening's most emotional moments.

"The essence of America -- that which really unites us -- is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion," she said. "It is an idea, and what an idea it is:  That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.  That it doesn't matter where you came from but where you are going."

Both Ryan and Rice seemed to uniquely stir passions among the Republican delegates. Rice’s speech in particular won plaudits from political observers on the left and right for its broad themes and relative lack of rhetorical firebombs.

An address from Martinez was sandwiched between Rice and Ryan. Her speech was one that made overtures to women and Latinos, and one which told the story of her own conversion from the Democratic Party to the GOP.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

She downplayed political parties, and kept with a theme emphasizing the primacy of solutions over politics.

"This election should not be about political parties. Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control. This election needs to be about those issues," Martinez said. "And it is the responsibility of both parties to offer up real solutions and have an honest debate."

Earlier in the evening, delegates heard harsher criticism of Obama.

In his speech, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made a direct appeal to his party's conservatives, mocking Obama and prominent Democratic leaders for "radical, left-wing" leadership.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty mocked Obama for his semi-regular golf games on weekends, and South Dakota Sen. John Thune said he could easily defend the president in a game of pick-up basketball -- because Obama would always go to his left.

The evening also featured a tribute to the retiring Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has attracted a devoted following in his two bids for the Republican presidential nomination.

But the carefully scripted speeches in the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET hour on Tuesday and Wednesday were more likely to foreshadow Romney’s acceptance speech during Thursday’s culminating night of the Republican National Convention.

Romney aides said Wednesday that the former Massachusetts governor’s speech -- tied into the need for Romney to reverse negative public opinion toward him – was mostly finished. Romney watched the evening’s speeches just a few paces away from the site of his speech tomorrow, at a nearby hotel.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee served up red meat to Republicans at their national convention, rallying conservatives behind the party’s nominee-in-waiting, Mitt Romney.

Huckabee leaned on standard Republican tropes -- from mocking House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to decrying "radical left-wing" policies -- in a pitch firmly directed toward the GOP's right wing.

"To those who question how once-rivals can now be united, it’s quite simple -- we have Barack Obama to thank," said the former 2008 presidential candidate, who sparred with Romney in that year's GOP primaries, in a bid to stir conservatives' passions.

Huckabee passed on running for the Republican presidential nomination a second time in 2012, leaving a void in the primary field this cycle for a visible social conservative like this former Southern Baptist preacher.

It was one of the most direct and pointed speeches targeted at President Barack Obama and it riled up delegates as the convention built towards vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech Wednesday night. 

"No small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty-limiting, radical left-wing, anti-business, reckless-spending, tax-hiking party of Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, versus an energized America who knows that we can do better," said the former Arkansas governor.

That hard-hitting rhetoric was largely typical of Huckabee's speech, which included jokes about the president's Nobel Peace Prize and Vice President Joe Biden's charitable giving -- along with jabs directed toward a familiar Republican bogeyman, the media.

Huckabee also made reference to his role as a socially conservative leader in an attempt to rally Catholics, a group whom Republicans have courted this cycle, partially by attacking new Obama administration rules about requiring insurers to cover contraception.

"The attack on my Catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me," he said.

Huckabee made no mention, though, of one of his sharpest differences of late with Republican leaders, over the candidacy of Todd Akin -- the Republican Senate candidate in Missouri whose controversial comments about rape prompted most GOP leaders to call for Akin to end his campaign. Huckabee has stood by and defended Akin.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

Four years after he accepted the Republican nomination for president, John McCain returned to the GOP convention.

“I had hopes once of addressing you under different circumstances,” McCain said. “But our fellow Americans had another plan four years ago, and I accept their decision.”

This year, McCain was here in a different capacity – as Mitt Romney’s chief foreign policy attack dog, leveling harsh criticism of President Obama, the man who defeated him in 2008.

Related: Rice and McCain prepare to draw foreign policy contrast with Obama

He casually charged that because of withdrawing from Afghanistan, “the president discourages our friends and emboldens our enemies.”

Because of Obama’s stance on Syria, McCain said, “Our president is not being true to our values.”

He said he trusts Mitt Romney to lead and without American leadership, “the world will grow darker, poorer and much more dangerous.”

Romney starts at a deficit when it comes to foreign affairs. According to the latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, President Obama has a 54 percent approval rating on foreign policy and more say Obama would be a better commander in chief.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A member of the U.S. Secret Service detail assigned to Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney inadvertently left a firearm unattended in the bathroom of the candidate's chartered flight Wednesday from Tampa to Indianapolis.

A reporter using the restroom later discovered the pistol next to the bathroom sink and alerted a flight attendant, who summoned a Secret Service agent to retrieve the weapon.

It remains unclear whether the weapon was loaded, and how long it was left in the 737's restroom before being discovered.

"We are aware of the incident. We take the care and custody of our equipment, especially firearms, very seriously," a spokesman for the Secret Service told NBC News. "We will deal with this matter internally and in an appropriate manner."

A spokesperson for the Romney campaign declined to comment on the matter, referring all questions to the Secret Service.

Romney first received Secret Service protection in January, following his victory in the Florida primary. His wife Ann received her own personal detail just last week.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Republican National Convention played host Wednesday evening to a tribute to Rep. Ron Paul, and signaled a potential passing of the torch to his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Though the retiring Texas congressman was not in attendance for tonight's tribute, a series of lawmakers participated in a video toasting the career of Ron Paul, whose supporters have been a noticeable presence at the convention.

"Whether people want to admit it or not, Ron Paul changed the conversation," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in the video.

Acolytes of Paul's brand of libertarian conservatism appeared as well, including Sens. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Reps. Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee, Justin Amash of Michigan and Walter Jones of North Carolina. Ron Paul and his wife appeared as well.

The Romney campaign had assented to the tribute as part of an overall effort to placate dedicated supporters of Paul, a two-time presidential candidate who sought to win enough delegates in a sufficient number of states to at least have his name put forth for nomination.

That effort prompted rules changes at the outset of this convention aimed at guarding against similar efforts to use the arcane delegate allocation rules to a grass-roots candidate's advantage.

But while the elder Paul appears set to exit the national stage, his son, Rand, appears poised to at least inherit supporters of his father, if not grow that coalition.

Rand Paul was welcomed to thunderous applause by supporters, some of whom chanted his name at the conclusion of the speech.

His speech continued the Republican "You Didn't Build That" attack, but featured one of the most forceful rebukes of President Barack Obama's health care reform law.

"I think if James Madison himself -- the father of the Constitution -- were here today he would agree with me: The whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!" he said.

Like his father, Rand Paul also broke with some Republican orthodoxies on foreign policy on a night set to feature some high-profile attacks on the Obama administration's national security record.

"Republicans must acknowledge that not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well-spent," he said, drawing some cheers. (Many Republicans have sought to undo automatic defense spending cuts stipulated by the 2011 debt ceiling agreement.)

Rand Paul also won thunderous applause for warning against allowing curbs to civil rights in the name of national security.

"To thrive we must believe in ourselves again, and we must never -- never -- trade our liberty for any fleeting promise of security," he said.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

Mia Love sees the campaign that President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are conducting as “disrespectful,” quoting the so-called “war on women,” and Biden’s recent comments on the campaign trail when he told a crowd that Republicans “want to put ya’ll back in chains.” 

“Well, when you think about it, let's look at the 'war on women,' I mean, he's tries to politically get women to vote for men,” the Utah congressional candidate said. “And if you think about Joe Biden's comments, "They want to put ya'll back in chains," I think it's absolutely disrespectful to the office that they hold. I deserve a president that sees me as a human being.”

But Love feels that her race won’t be a factor in her effort to become the Republican’s first African-American congresswoman, saying that her race and gender “doesn’t matter.” 

Asked how the Republican Party reaches out to groups its struggling with like African Americans, Latinos, women, and young voters, Love said the GOP just needs to focus on what she says American’s care about, which is the economy.

“I think that what they need to do is continue doing what the Republicans are doing right now, what Mitt Romney is doing, and that's focusing on the economy,” Love said. “That's what people really care about.”

President Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first commander in chief to appear on the website that bills itself as "the front page of the Internet," drowning it in traffic and offering responses to 10 of over 10,000 comments and questions submitted.

Click here for the Reddit chat

Becoming the first president to use the popular Internet meme-engine and news hub Reddit Wednesday, Barack Obama's "Ask Me Anything" appearance caused the site to crash repeatedly.

See related: Obama does first presidential 'ask me anything' chat on Reddit

He took questions ranging from one about money in politics (he proposed a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United case that green-lighted super PACs) to one on small-business measures (he plugged his tax and jobs plans) to the beer being brewed in the White House ("It is tasty!")

But, while some of those questions were among the most "upvoted" or highly rated by Reddit users, many of the forum's more provocative and popular questions went unanswered; for example, questions about the administration's failure to close Guantanamo Bay, its embrace of drones for national security operations, and the war on drugs did not receive a response

Obama opened the Internet Q&A session with condolences for the victims of the ongoing storm in the gulf region. "I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf," he typed. "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."

Ahead of an evening at the Republican National Convention expected to take aim at President Barack Obama's foreign policy and Mitt Romney doing the same today before the Foreign Legion, the president himself questioned Wednesday whether his GOP opponent Mitt Romney would be able to back up his "tough talk."

Speaking at a rally with college students in Charlottesville, Va., the president took aim at his Republican opponent on issues of energy and foreign policy.

Obama accused Romney, for instance, of lacking detail in his plans to wind down the war in Afghanistan.

"He doesn't have a plan to bring home the 33,000 troops who will be coming home from Afghanistan next month," the president said in a mid-afternoon rally. "He likes to talk tough but he doesn't have a lot of details when it comes to -- to these critical issues."

And, as Republicans rally in Tampa, Obama made light of the Romney campaign's reaction to new fuel efficiency standards as "extreme."

"Just yesterday my opponent called my position on fuel efficiency standards extreme," Obama said. "It doesn’t seem extreme to me, more fuel-efficient cars. Maybe the steam engine is more his speed."

The president's trip today to Virginia -- and yesterday, to Colorado and Iowa -- amounted to a somewhat concerted effort to offer counterprogramming to the Republican National Convention.

Obama hadn't watched any of this week's festivities, according to his spokesman, though that didn't stop him from taking direct aim at the Tampa gathering in his speech.

"This week in Tampa, my opponents will offer you their agenda. It should be a pretty entertaining show," he said. It will be. And I’m sure they’ll have some wonderful things to say about me," Obama said Tuesday to about 6,000 students at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Tuesday.

“But what you won’t hear from them is a path forward that meets the challenges of our time. Instead, it will be an economic plan that says if you just give folks making $3 million or more a year another $250,000 tax cut, then jobs and prosperity will magically rain down on everybody else.”

That criticism both downplays the importance of the event, at which Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will introduce himself to a national audience, and builds it back up as an event representative of what Obama says is the GOP platform: all rhetoric with no policies.

on Wednesday, here at the nTelos Pavilion, he actually encouraged the crowd of 7,500 to “pay a little attention” to the convention but suggested they wouldn’t be satisfied by it.

“You can listen very carefully, very hard, and you wont’ hear them offer a clear, serious path forward,” he said.

Campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the president was campaigning during the convention in order to draw a contrast between Republicans’ message, which she suggested was short on details, and his own.

“Conventions are opportunities for both parties to present who they're fighting for and what they stand for and while we didn't hear a lot of answers from the Republicans speaking at the conventions, the president feels it's necessary to keep laying out the choice in this election.”

RNC spokesman Tim Miller argued the opposite point about Obama’s convention-time counterprogramming: “Greek Columns Obama is an expert on showmanship with no follow-through, while our convention is offering a plan for helping the middle class and turning this sputtering economy around.”

INDIANAPOLIS -- The day before he formally accepts the Republican Party's presidential nomination, Mitt Romney today addressed the American Legion's conference here, slamming President Obama on the looming defense-spending cuts and announcing a new policy to benefit veterans.

"We are now just months away from an arbitrary, across-the-board budget reduction that would weaken the military," Romney said. "President Obama’s own Secretary of Defense has warned that these reductions would be 'devastating.' And he is right."  

"The devastation will be felt here at home, where up to 1.5 million jobs could be lost. GDP growth could fall significantly. These cuts will place further stress on an already stretched VA system." 

The upcoming automatic defense cuts (as well as cuts to domestic programs) were part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 that Congress passed and the president signed into law. Under the legislation, if Washington leaders were unable to settle on a comprehensive bipartisan deficit-reduction solution, then those automatic cuts would go into effect.  

Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, voted for the Budget Control Act. 

The Obama campaign fired back at Romney. "Lost in his speech was the fact that the only thing standing in the way of preventing the automatic defense cuts he decried is his refusal to ask for another dime from millionaires and billionaires. If Mitt Romney were truly serious about helping veterans, he’d tell Congressman Ryan and his Republican allies in Congress to work with the president to achieve a balanced deficit reduction plan," Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said.

In his remarks to the American Legion conference, Romney also accused Obama of apologizing for America -- an allegation that non-partisan fact-checkers have consistently debunked. "The threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continues to be very real and, of course, we're still at war in Afghanistan. We still have uniformed men and women in conflict, risking their lives just as you once did... We salute them. We honor them. We respect and love them.

He continued, "All of this is happening around the world now.  And yet for the past four years President Obama has allowed our leadership to diminish.  In dealings with other nations he's given trust where not earned, insult where it's not deserved, and apology where it's not due." 

At the outset of his remarks, Romney discussed Hurricane Isaac, which landed in Louisiana as the GOP convention was under way last night. "And I appreciate this invitation to join you on dry land this afternoon," he said. "Our thoughts are, of course, with the people of the Gulf Coast states. Seven years ago today they were bracing for Hurricane Katrina; this afternoon they're enduring Isaac."

And he explained why he was in Indianapolis instead of Tampa, where the Republicans are holding their convention; Romney was in Tampa on Tuesday for his wife's primetime speech.

"I’ll be heading back to Florida later today, and you may wonder why I’m not down there right now, practicing and polishing my final draft of my speech. My answer’s this: When our nation called, you answered. And I consider any opportunity to address our nation’s veterans a privilege not to be missed."

TAMPA, Fla. -- President Barack Obama suggested he would support beginning an effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to undo a Supreme Court decision that gave way to the rise of so-called "Super PACs."

In a chat on the social media website Reddit, the president told readers that he would back an amendment to counteract the impact of the court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, a 2010 decision that did away with limits on corporate and labor spending in elections.

"Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it)," the president wrote. "Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change."

The president said he still supports the Disclose Act, which would force greater transparency from outside spending groups in disclosing their sources of funding. Obama also emphasized his support for banning lobbyists from the practice of "bundling," or raising large sums of contribution from a group of donors.

The 2012 campaign has seen an unprecedented influx of political spending due to the rise of super PACs, which are able to raise and spend unlimited sums on electioneering. Many of those groups also have twin nonprofit arms, which are able to raise and spend millions on "issue advocacy" without having to disclose its funding source.

Both Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, have super PACs spending on their behalf this cycle. Obama reluctantly endorsed his, Priorities USA Action, after having initially opposed the groups;

TAMPA, Fla -- Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said her successor, Hillary Clinton, has done a "fine" job.

It's the overall strategy of the Obama administration, Rice said, that has led the U.S. astray.

"I think she's done a fine job. The problem isn't Hilary Clinton, who's great," Rice told members of Ohio's delegation to the Republican National Convention.

"The problem is that we've chosen to speak with a muted voice about America's role in the world.  We've chosen to try to lead from behind. That's an oxymoron in my mind."

Clinton had long been a lightning rod for conservatives, but has won plaudits for her work as the nation's top diplomat.

But Rice, who some Republicans had hoped would be Mitt Romney's running mate, was more unsparing toward President Barack Obama, a likely target during her speech tonight before the convention.

Rice told delegates here that America has been "leading from behind" during the Obama administration. She said that, like many in the U.S., countries abroad are unsure if America can regain its place as the world's dominant economic and military power.

"We are united by a belief that you can come from humble circumstances and you can do great things. And today people wonder: Is that still true? Are America's best days behind us?" Rice said. 

"And I want to tell you, as a former secretary of state, it's not just something that Americans wonder, it's something that people around the world wonder too.  Because when the United States is not feeling strong and confident at home, it shows abroad.And when the united states is not willing to speak with a robust voice for free peoples and free markets, the world is a pretty chaotic place.

The former top adviser to President George W. Bush maintained that she is not concerned by the lack of foreign policy experience at the top of the Republican ticket, saying that success abroad takes the same leadership qualities Romney exhibited in the private sector. 

"The details about what you do about Iran on any given day or what you do about china on any given day.  Any smart person can figure that out.  But if you don't have the basic principles in place...then you can't be a great foreign policy president," she said.

The Stanford professor continued to say she has no plans to return politics, but her high-profile seat during Tuesday night's floor speeches along with her speech tonight will cause plenty of speculation about a possible future spot in the Romney administration.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Republican National Convention has in some ways become as much of a showcase for the GOP's potential 2016 contenders as it has for this year's nominee, Mitt Romney, through the first full day of speeches.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker received a hero's welcome from gathered delegates during his speech Tuesday. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivered a barnburning keynote address that touted his own accomplishments as much as Romney's.

And while Romney’s running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, will surely tout the top of the ticket, he may end up doing as much to burnish his own credentials for a future bid for higher office when he accepts the vice presidential nomination Wednesday evening. 

Related: First Thoughts: Mixed messages

If Mitt Romney is elected this fall, many of the featured Republicans this week will have to put their own presidential ambitions on the back burner, presumably waiting until 2020 for their chance to make a bid for the White House. But if President Obama wins a second term in November, the party will have had ample opportunity this week to size up some of their top contenders for four years from now. 

Jason Reed / Reuters

Republican congressional candidate and Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mayor Mia Love addresses delegates during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, August 28.

Perhaps no speaker this week represents both the future of the party and the delicate balance between ambition and assisting Romney this year than Ryan, who has been a loyal soldier for Romney since joining the Republican ticket earlier this month, gladly taking a backseat to Romney on policy issues where their differences could be politically thorny. 

Slideshow: The 2012 Republican National Convention

But Ryan's star power has long been evident in the GOP, and even Romney has hailed him as an "intellectual leader" of the party. While Ryan's rock star status could well electrify Republican delegates on Romney's behalf, his speech could preserve his national brand well past 2012.

Other representatives of the GOP's deep bench took the stage on Tuesday, with some mixed results. 

Christie's keynote speech -- a slot traditionally reserved as a launching platform for future leaders -- last night seemed to do that much; he referenced himself over 30 times, but only mentioned Romney eight times. While Christie rebuffed efforts to draft him into the presidential race this cycle and eventually endorsed Romney, his appearance Wednesday morning before the delegation from New Hampshire -- which traditionally hosts the first presidential primary -- did little to quell speculation about his future ambitions. 

Walker mixed boasts of his successes in curbing collective bargaining rights for public workers in Wisconsin with effusive praise for Romney and especially Ryan, the home-state congressman whose ambitious fiscal work links his governing philosophy with Walker's.

While conventions are not solely meant as coronations for presidential nominees, and down-ballot candidates -- such as Mia Love and Ted Cruz, two featured speakers last night -- must be mindful of their own electoral prospects, rank-and-file Republican voters might take solace in their party's future when looking at the deep bench of GOP stars on display this week. 

Related: GOP headliners cast Romney as relatable and decisive

Among the other speakers on Tuesday who could have future political ambition were Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the runner-up against Romney in this year's presidential primary. (Santorum's speech only mentioned Romney a handful of times, and seemed to dwell more on his erstwhile campaign than the battle ahead. He said he and his family "shook the hand of the American Dream" during their travels across the country last year.)

In addition to Ryan, some second-tier contenders in 2016 -- South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul -- will speak earlier Wednesday evening. 

And one of the GOP's pre-eminent stars, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, will introduce Romney during Thursday night's primetime session. 

Of course, there are also difficulties for politicians looking to preserve their future political opportunities while another candidates sit atop their party's ticket. Every Republican this week has expressed effusive confidence in Romney as the nominee; if any Republican even hinted at running in 2016, it would imply an assumption that Romney won't win in 2012.

"I am not running for president today. I am not running for president period," Walker said, for instance, at a forum this morning organized by the Washington Post.

Democrats may too suffer from showboating to some degree during their convention next week in Charlotte, N.C. The critical difference for them? Win or lose in 2012, Obama won't be on the ballot in 2016.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Out of all the speakers, all the proclamations, and all the political rhetoric, one topic was barely mentioned here last night, if at all: foreign policy.

That will change somewhat tonight when Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice address the Republican convention. According to Romney officials, McCain's speech -- which daughter Meghan McCain said would be "red meat to the lions" on MSNBC -- will focus on defense matters, while Rice's will concentrate on foreign affairs.

Slideshow: The 2012 Republican National Convention

But that's pretty much it. 

Tonight's other key speakers -- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Rob Portman, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez -- will discuss domestic issues affecting the middle class, organizers say. And tomorrow's final night will be a build up to Mitt Romney's acceptance speech. 

(That said, Romney will talk about defense and veterans' issues in his upcoming speech today before the American Legion in Indianapolis.)

This lack of attention to foreign policy and national security is a departure from past political conventions. Four years ago in Denver, Democrats devoted the theme of their Wednesday program to the issue (the title of the night was "Securing America's Future"). And given that McCain was the GOP's nominee in the 2008 cycle, foreign affairs was a dominant theme in the Republican convention in St. Paul.

And in 2004 -- just removed from the 9/11 attacks and the start of the Iraq war -- both the Democratic and Republican conventions had a heavy focus on defense and foreign affairs. (Remember John Kerry's "reporting for duty" speech? Or George W. Bush's finale? Or Rudy Giuliani's?)

Of course, one obvious explanation for this change is the focus on the economy. Indeed, almost every poll shows that jobs and the economy rank as the public's top concern. "Obviously, the economy is No. 1," said a top Romney official in response to a question why there's so little attention to national security and foreign affairs at the GOP convention.

Another reason is the truncated schedule. "We only have three nights," an additional Romney official replied. "That's a piece of it." 

A third reason is President Barack Obama's strength on these issues, especially compared with his standing on the economy. In fact, the most recent NBC/WSJ poll found the president's approval rating on foreign policy at 54%, versus 44% on the economy.

And so guess what's a big Thursday theme of next week's Democratic convention in Charlotte?

According to the Boston Globe, it will be national security. 

TAMPA, FL -- Just hours after addressing the Republican National Convention herself Monday night, Ann Romney was back at it again bright and early Tuesday morning, making her pitch to a group of women voters.

Slideshow: The 2012 Republican National Convention

"So many of the women in this nation have got to figure out, am I going to go in that voting booth and vote for my children’s future?" Mrs. Romney asked the several hundred women at a breakfast just a few blocks from the GOP convention. "That’s what they have got to ask because this is going to be an economic question for them. We’re OK. We’re OK. The next generation is going to be paying for our debts."

With Mitt Romney struggling with the gender gap -- President Barack Obama is leading among females 51 percent to 41 percent according to the NBC News/WSJ poll --  his wife appears to be taking on the role of helping try to reduce that.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

Not only did Ann, who wore a light pink suit, share personal stories about her and Mitt Romney's 42-year long marriage -- their love, struggles, and family -- all five of her daughters-in-law appeared on stage with stories of their own.

"One thing I really love about Ann is she’s a really modern feminist. She’s kind of the 21st century woman. She is so comfortable in her own skin and I promise that’s for real," Andelyne Romney, son Ben's wife, said.

Making her debut on the campaign trail, Janna Ryan, wife of the vice presidential nominee-in-waiting, Rep. Paul Ryan, also gave very brief remarks inside the Hyatt Hotel.

"I have to say it again, wasn't Ann great last night. So good," Mrs. Ryan said, giving Americans the first glimpse of America's potential next Second Lady. "Ann's story is an inspiration for millions of women across this country and her friendship is an unexpected blessing in this campaign. It is a privilege to join you and Mitt on this campaign."

And Mitt Romney himself, via video, joined the conversation as well to talk about "his sweetheart."

"By the time I get to town, the delegates may have decided to nominate Ann instead. And wouldn’t that be interesting?," Romney joked. "And do you think if Ann were the nominee, the press would write stories about how my job is to humanize Ann? I don’t think so."

Mixed messages: Both Ann Romney and Chris Christie gave fine speeches, but they created a disjointed message… Christie raises the bar for Romney… Last night showcased the GOP’s governors and its diverse candidates/officials… Isaac slams into Louisiana… Previewing Ryan’s speech… Is it really Mitt Romney’s party?... On the trail: Romney delivers speech to American Legion conference  in Indianapolis, while Obama stumps in Charlottesville… And did the Sea of Galilee story claim its first victim?

TAMPA, FL -- Ann Romney humanizing her husband and delivering a well-received speech, check. Chris Christie hitting the Democrats and President Obama, as well as making the case that leadership requires tough choices, check. Individually, last night’s two primetime speeches here at the Republican convention accomplished what they set out to do. But taken together, they represented a clash in tone -- with Ann Romney telling the audience she wanted to talk about the power of love, and with Christie declaring, “Tonight, we’re going to choose respect over love.” Christie later added, “Our ideas are right for America, and their ideas have failed America.” Either speech could have concluded the night, but the two addresses didn’t mix well; it was like a meal of blueberry pancakes and ribeye steak, or a dessert of pickles and ice cream. There wasn’t a unifying message, so the parts seemed greater than the whole. Make no mistake: The Romney campaign can take pride in both speeches. And the time constraints and Monday’s cancellation didn’t give them a better alternative. But two polar-opposite addresses created a disjointed message.

*** Christie raises the bar for Romney: So if there’s criticism of Christie’s speech, it wasn’t in the substance -- but rather in the fact that it wasn’t the lasting moment after Ann Romney’s address. In a way, it was classic New Jersey: an interruption. One thing that Christie’s keynote speech did was raise the bar for Romney on Thursday. “You see, Mr. President -- real leaders don’t follow polls,” he said last night. “Real leaders change polls.” But is that a message more suited for Romney or Christie himself? After all, Romney is a politician who has often taken the easier path in politics (running as a supporter of abortion rights in Massachusetts, opposing them when he started eyeing the presidency, downplaying his health-care law, not answering if he would overturn President Obama’s new deportation policy for young undocumented immigrants).

*** Showcasing the GOP’s governors and its diverse candidates: But if the convention planners achieved one goal from last night, it was showcasing the party’s young governors and its diverse candidates and officials. Look at the governors who spoke last night: John Kasich, Mary Fallin, Bob McDonnell, Scott Walker, Brian Sandoval, and Nikki Haley. (In fact, Walker probably brought the crowd to its feet more than any other speaker last night.) And then there was the diversity: Mia Love, Kelly Ayotte, Ted Cruz, and Artur Davis. (Outside of Ann Romney, Christie, and Walker, Love’s short speech might have been the most impressive of the night.) Other things that struck us: Rick Santorum’s speech didn’t deliver the way the Romney campaign had seemed to promise (the welfare attack on Obama fell flat with the audience), and Cruz (with his walking around the stage) appeared to try too hard.

*** Isaac slams into Louisiana: We’ll say a final word about last night: It came as Hurricane Isaac slammed into Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. “Hurricane Isaac spun into the southern Louisiana coast late Tuesday, sending floodwaters surging and unleashing fierce winds as residents hunkered down behind boarded-up windows,” the AP writes. “New Orleans calmly waited out another storm on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's seventh anniversary, hoping the city's strengthened levees would hold.” Ann Romney asked the audience to “hope and pray” that everyone on Gulf Coast was safe. But outside of that, the references to Isaac were sparse. 

*** Previewing Ryan’s speech: We now turn to tonight’s schedule of activities at the GOP convention, which will be highlighted by Paul Ryan’s speech accepting the party’s vice-presidential nomination. Already a full-fledged star in the Republican Party, Ryan has the potential to rock the crowd here in Tampa. After all, he can do it with biography (his family, the loss of his father, his love of hunting) as well as policy (the Ryan budget). And it will be the biggest speech of his political career so far. But let's also not get too carried away about the VP nominee speech; Palin's was the exception. (Beyond her, name another impactful VP nominee speech. The memorable convo speeches are almost all keynotes, spouses and top of tickets, not the VP.) The Romney camp says that, in Wisconsin, it will hold 20 watch parties of Ryan’s speech, and that there will be a special event in his hometown of Janesville. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has produced this web video before Ryan’s speech tonight. Other stories we’ll be watching tonight: Will Mike Huckabee say anything about Todd Akin? And how will Condi Rice be received? We can’t think of her ever making a true public political speech before… 

*** Wednesday’s schedule (the theme is “We change it”):

7:00 pm ET hour: Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul
8:00 pm hour: John McCain, John Thune, Rob Portman,
9:00 pm hour: Luis Fortuno, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee
10:00 pm hour: Condi Rice, Susana Martinez, Paul Ryan

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

*** Is this really Romney’s party? Don’t miss this analysis from the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith: “Mitt Romney on Tuesday officially became the leader of the Republican Party. What's unclear is how much it's really his Republican Party. Talk to delegates in and around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, and they're more likely to gush about Chris Christie or Marco Rubio than their nominee. Ask them to explain Romney's agenda and ideology and they point enthusiastically to running mate Paul Ryan's. ‘The party's not defined by the top of the ticket anymore. The party is defined by the broader community of people who choose to associate and participate,'' said Matt Kibbe, chairman of FreedomWorks, the grass roots organizing group aligned with tea party conservatives. ’It's not so much about Mitt.’”

*** On the trail: The day before his big acceptance speech, Romney addresses the American Legion’s national conference in Indianapolis, IN… And President Obama finishes his two-day swing to college towns, speaking in Charlottesville, VA  30 minutes later at 3:30 pm ET.

*** Did that dip in the Sea of Galilee claim its first victim? Arizona held its primaries last night, and David Schweikert (R) defeated Ben Quayle (R) in the state’s member-vs.-member contest.Taegan Goddard's Political Wire spots this in the Arizona Republic's write-up  of the race. “As ballots rolled in, Quayle campaign volunteer Paul Gorman attributed the loss to fallout from a recent story about Congress members partying in Israel, including one who stripped naked to swim. Quayle was on the trip but said he only took a brief, reverent dip in the Sea of Galilee.” The race was always going to be tough for Quayle, but the timing of the Sea of Galilee story sure didn’t help. In other news out of Arizona, we have our Senate match up -- Jeff Flake (R) vs. Richard Carmona (D).

Countdown to Dem convention: 5 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 35 days
Countdown to VP debate: 43 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 48 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 54 days
Countdown to Election Day: 69 days

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*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, National Journal’s Major Garrett,  the Washington Post’s  Eugene Robinson, Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, publisher Karen Hunter, and Hurricane coverage w/ MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall in New Orleans.

 *** Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with Obama Campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry, MSNBC Contributor Meghan McCain, and Ron Reagan.  Power panelists include TheGrio.com’s Joy-Ann Reid, Former Santorum Press Secretary Alice Stewart and democratic strategist Chris Kofinis.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: Live from Tampa, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), DNC Exec. Director Patrick Gaspard, Tamron Hall covering Hurricane Issac in New Orleans, Chris Matthews, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Politico’s Maggie Haberman. 

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall covers Hurricane Isaac live from New Orleans. Guests include Jefferson Parish President John Young, Louisiana State Senator Jean-Paul Morrell. Also former DNC Chairman Howard Dean and former RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

“Mitt Romney strode into the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the start of the Republican convention on Tuesday night as perhaps the least-known presidential nominee in recent history. Everything from his religion—barely spoken about on the campaign trail—to his business career—the subject of intense disagreements—translated as opaque. His looks and bearing registered as presidential, but there was precious little to fill out the suit,” the Boston Globe’s Canellos writes. “But by the time Romney took the stage for the first time, later in the evening, his profile had begun to come into greater focus. And he had his wife of 43 years to thank for it.”

“Her mission was to soften her husband's image, but before she spoke about the ‘boy I met at a dance,’ Ann Romney made a strong pitch for the support by women that has so far eluded Mitt Romney's Republican party,” USA Today writes.

No Mr. Nice Guy… “Chris Christie tells the GOP to stop being the nice guys,” USA Today has as its headline.

The New York Daily News: “Christie took his sweet time getting around to mentioning the party’s presidential nominee, but made sure he gave his national audience a warmer, homier version than his local caricature — that of the gruff, finger-pointing blowhard who’s not afraid to shout down a heckler at the Jersey shore.”

The Washington Post's Dan Balz: "Christie had a tough assignment on Tuesday night. He was the wrap-up speaker on opening night of the Republican National Convention and had the misfortune of appearing after Ann Romney, whose testimony in behalf of her husband connected with the audience, and then the visit to the convention hall by the nominee. But it was Christie who helped inject some much-needed energy into an arena that had been surprisingly subdued through the early evening. He came on stage punching the air. He clapped as he approached the lectern, returning the welcome he received from the delegates as if to say: Wake up, Republicans. He demanded that they stand up, and they did." 

“A convention shortened by a day due to Hurricane Isaac’s passage through the nearby Gulf of Mexico created a compressed speaking schedule and a slightly incoherent juxtaposition,” theGlobe’s Johnson writes. “It pitted a passionate wife speaking of the boy she met at a high school dance against a brash, street-fighting politician urging the country to follow his lead in solving its problems.”

Split papers: 

The New Orleans Times-Picayune: “Isaac moves in.”
The convention isn’t even on the front page of the Tampa Bay Times regular edition: “Isaac’s déjà vu.”
Bradenton Herald: On the left: “This man will not fail,” on the right: “Isaac hits land on coast of La.”
Miami Herald: “Romney sweeps to GOP nomination.”

The Wall Street Journal makes this point about Santorum’s speech: “Mr. Santorum, who consistently outpaced Mr. Romney among social-issues conservatives, reminded the party faithful – and television viewers at home – that the GOP also observes strict limits on abortion, fighting for the rights of the ‘born and unborn.’ The former Pennsylvania senator also stressed the importance of traditional marriage and the family. While those themes are enshrined in the party platform, Mr. Santorum is one of the few speakers to highlight those positions in his remarks Tuesday night.” 

The New York Times covers the party’s platforms that was adopted. “One party platform stated that Hispanics and others should not ‘be barred from education or employment opportunities because English is not their first language.’ It highlighted the need for ‘dependable and affordable’ mass transit in cities, noting that ‘mass transportation offers the prospect for significant energy conservation.’ And it prefaced its plank on abortion by saying that ‘we recognize differing views on this question among Americans in general — and in our own party.’ The other party platform said that “we support English as the nation’s official language.” It chided the Democratic administration for “replacing civil engineering with social engineering as it pursues an exclusively urban vision of dense housing and government transit.” And its abortion plank recognized no dissent, taking the position that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.”

“An attendee at the Republican National Convention was given the boot Tuesday for racially taunting a black CNN camerawoman, an incident the news network confirmed after it was reported on Twitter,” the New York Daily News writes.

Romney gets just a 40%-51% fav/unfav in the latest Washington Post/ABC poll. Obama was 50%/47%. “Mitt Romney accepts the Republican nomination for president this week with the lowest personal popularity of any major-party nominee in polls dating to Ronald Reagan’s presidency, a difficulty for Romney that’s persisted throughout this election cycle,” ABC writes.

Mike Huckabee to the Daily Beast, per Political Wire: "The sicker the patient, the less important is bedside manner. If you've just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, you honestly don't care if your neurosurgeon is a jerk. You don't care if he has a great personality. You want to know if you're going to cut my head open, can you get the job done?"

Politico: “Many Democrats believe that Romney's decision to inject welfare into the campaign — with a factually inaccurate ad claiming that Obama had reversed Clinton-era work requirements — was an unmistakable, if coded, effort to imply that the first black president stands for handouts for lazy people. Combined with a recent lead-balloon joke by Romney about controversy over Obama's birthplace, Democrats have concluded that Romney is making deliberate appeals to prejudiced whites.

More: “Many Republicans — with years of resentment over how they believe Democrats and the media seek to throw them on the defensive on racial issues — howled that Vice President Joe Biden was exploiting racial fears when he told a majority-black audience in Virginia that the GOP's Wall Street allies want to ‘put you all back in chains.’ All the talk of code words highlights one irony of 2012: Race is proving more toxic as a subtext to the election than it did in 2008, when Obama's status as the first African-American major-party nominee was usually celebrated, even by many Republicans, as a sign of racial progress.”

“Ryan's place in prime time on Wednesday offers him the chance to introduce himself to millions of Americans who are just now starting to tune in to a presidential race that is too close to call with 70 days left until the voting,” Reuters writes. “While Ryan, chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, is well known in Washington, he is little known elsewhere.”

“Condoleezza Rice is back. Nearly four years after leaving the White House, the former secretary of state is injecting herself into the center of the heated 2012 political season. She's raising money for female congressional candidates, dishing endorsements in key races and is poised to become even more involved in Republican politics than at any moment since she left the Bush White House,” Politico says. “Tonight, she'll take on the full glare of the national spotlight with a prime-time speech here at the Republican National Convention. A Rice aide said the former secretary of state would outline her view of American exceptionalism while calling on Republicans to rally around Mitt Romney.”

Town Hall’s Guy Benson reports that Clint Eastwood will be making his way to the convention and might be the mystery speaker.