Blog Buzz: Hillary Clinton's Convention Speech, John McCain's Latest Ad, Barack Obama's Convention Stage

Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:

Did Hillary Hit a Home Run?

Hillary Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention is getting mixed reviews among bloggers. Some liberal (and conservative) bloggers applaud her message of Democratic unity and her praise of Barack Obama. One liberal calls it "the speech of a lifetime." Other bloggers say she only did the minimum (Chris Cillizza, however, thinks she did all she could). Other criticisms are that she failed to convince her delegates (who one conservative blogger calls "childish") that they should vote for Obama, and that her reservations about Obama were obvious in the speech. (Did her body language give her away?) At TPM, the buzz is that Hillary may have been trying to "preserve goodwill within the party" if Obama loses and she ends up running for president in 2012.

McCain Ad Is a "Tiny" Bit False

The McCain campaign has released a new ad attacking Obama's foreign policy. The ad claims that Obama has said Iran is a "tiny country" that "doesn't pose a serious threat." Liberal bloggers are pointing out that the quote is taken out of context and is a "dishonest representation of Obama's words." Conservatives think McCain should continue attacking Obama on this theme. The ad features a new tag line and coincides with today's security theme at the Democratic National Convention. Politico's Ben Smith has the Obama campaign's response.

Obama Wants to Be President and a Greek God

Conservatives are having a field day with the news that Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech Thursday night on a stage that looks like a miniature Greek temple. Bloggers are mocking what they think are over-the-top theatrics that are par for the course for someone who already has a presidential seal and a big ego. Ann Althouse wonders if Obama will look like a god or a president, and an ABC News blogger thinks the speech will give Republicans "new ammo." A National Review blogger says the stage will be more of a tragedy than a temple. ThinkProgress points to conservatives who have spoken before Greek columns in the past.

—Gretchen Hannes