Inside Xcel

Posted at 11:48 AM on August 31, 2008 by Bob Collins
Filed under: The political conventions

MPR's John Nicholson (he's the guy who keeps all the computers and technology humming) has put his iPhone to good use over the last week or so.

Here's a shot he took of the floor of the Xcel on Sunday morning. I'm not sure what that's a picture of, but it appears very unMinnesota.

Somewhere on that floor, perhaps, someone is making a decision whether this convention will even take place. President Bush and VP Cheney are both skipping the convention (I'm still pouring through the history books to find out the last time a Republican president didn't address his party's national convention). The Republican ticket is in New Orleans, where a natural disaster is in the making. They're still scheduled to be in St. Paul this week, where -- if the convention is delayed -- an economic disaster is brewing.

A decision is expected within a few hours. Gov. Pawlenty says it can't be canceled, but will probably have a "less celebratory" tone.

Here's another shot:

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