Tuesday, August 26 - Avoiding A Roll Call

If we were in Annapolis, Wednesday's roll call vote for President would go like this.

After the nominating speeches, Hillary Clinton would be recognized and say, "I withdraw my name from consideration and move that Barack Obama be nominated by acclamation."

There would be a voice vote, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the presiding officer of the convention, would declare, "The 'ayes' have it."

In the House of Delegates, if ten members request a roll call vote - where every member's vote is recorded, there is one.

I am a political junkie, but I have absolutely no idea how many convention delegates must ask for a roll call vote for there to be one after a voice vote has been taken.

There's another big difference between Annapolis and Denver. When you nominate someone for President of the United States, the whole world is watching.

Nonetheless, party unity would be better served if the divisiveness of a roll call, tallying the votes for Obama and Clinton, is avoided.

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One of the classes that sharpened my writing skills was "Writing About the Law" in my last semester of law school.

My professor was Jeff Greenfield, now a political analyst for CBS News. We had dinner tonight - a chance meeting over chicken tenders and a hot dog in the corridors of the Pepsi Center.

Jeff was proud to add me to the list of his students who have chosen not to practice law.

Since he worked for Robert Kennedy, I asked him what he thought of the Edward Kennedy film and speech last night.

"I did two pieces for CBS News to mark to 40th anniversary of Bobby's death in June," he replied. "They took all of the emotion out of me."