Sorry Bill Richardson and Al Gore. I didn’t get to spend any time with you tonight. After finally settling in, the only speech I got to see was Obama’s nomination acceptance speech, and I didn’t want to muddy up my afterglow with watching anything else. Here it is:

It was a riveting spectacle of marketing and stagecraft (in a good way), a triumph of a political speech, a wonderful look at the unapologetic passion and commitment that drives Obama personally, and a powerful realization of America’s potential on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. I’m an Obama partisan (not necessarily a Dem partisan) for all the reasons I’ve written about, so I’m not objective. But it was easy to see how much of an impact the speech made, not only on the crowd, but on the experienced political and media hands covering it. It left even hardcore GOP attack dogs saying things like this:

“The candidate who’s seen as untested and therefore risky made a case that staying with what you have is an even greater risk. He demonstrated great strength in confronting McCain that way…I think that whoever didn’t get picked for Republican VP today may be a lucky Republican.” (Alex Castellanos, CNN) - video

“It was a genuinely outstanding speech, it was magnificent…I’ve seen a lot of convention speeches… This is probably the greatest speech… This came out of the heart of America and he came right at the heart of America…” (Pat Buchanan, MSNBC) - video

Dr. King would be proud of us tonight, proud that the life he gave in pursuit of a dream that he never got to see fulfilled created an opportunity for America to nominate, listen to, and be lead by a man like Obama.

In tonight’s afterglow, just four days after starting the convention, it’s almost hard to remember all the night terrors and boogeymen conjured up by the media and the GOP: Hillary or Bill sticking a political knife in Barack’s back; a Hillary/PUMA driven floor fight and party infighting meltdown in an unseemly primetime roll call drama; listless convention speeches filled with limp liberal tropes delivered by feeble spineless party leaders; a flaming burnout of hubris in a stadium-sized crowd of star-struck synchophants.

In contrast, this convention was a masterpiece of coordination, compromise, negotiation and teamwork. The tireless Clinton/Obama team negotiations produced memorable and stirring mutual acknowledgements from each candidate and a warm glow of unity and solidarity that has enticed in even some of the most reluctanct Hillary hold-outs. The marketing and branding genius of Obama’s PR and event teams flooded the hall with bold signage and wonderful stagework that projected strength and confidence. The policy heft and fearless critiques of the GOP by party leadership put on vivid display the reality that the current GOP policies are intellectually bankrupt and morally indefensible.

Even the smooth build of each day on the next was a study in careful thought and a demonstration of the sensitivity of Barack’s team to the emotional mood of the party and the nation. Day 1: An introduction and personal connection to Michelle and the Obama family. Day 2: An acknowledgment of Hillary’s contribution to our political conversation and a thank you to her supporters from Obama’s supporters. Day 3: An introduction to the Dem’s political and policy heavyweights to build a sense of party confidence and assertive indignation, a passing of the torch, and a celebration of internal unity with the nomination process and final acknowledgment of Bill and Hillary’s contributions. Day 4: Inviting the American public to meet Obama and pay tribute to America’s greatness as evidenced by one of it’s greatest sons, MLK, and a war-cry to rally American outrage and take on the GOP.

This was Obama’s convention, Obama’s test of political savvy and party leadership. With so much at stake politically and with so much overwhelming attention, a lot could have gone wrong. It is noteworthy that nothing did. Obama and his team simply did not allow any of the GOP or media-created narratives to be happen. Just the opposite: the hype and hysteria only served to highlight how well it came off.

All of this — the convention, the negotiations, the image management, the transcendent speech, the pitch-perfect emotional and political unity — are not accidents. They are the product of a disciplined and committed team led by a disciplined and committed leader. They are a preview of what could be possible for America if we are willing to elect one of the most promising leaders that has come along in a long time, a leader that can enable this kind of success and still make it feel effortless.

Talking about governing style, structural management, and procedural reform isn’t a theme made for television, but to me it’s the most essential question in any sphere: government, business, church. Massive popular enthusiasm can be bled to death in a thousand small ways during the process of enabling a good idea to becoming tangible reality. Understanding how to navigate the personal and political minefields, and the very real emotional attachments of the parties involved, is the most fundamental skill of a good leader.

The country is changing. The world is changing. Obama’s video and speech tonight acknowledged that the boomer generation and the dominance of white middle America are passing on. A new groundswell of generational change and national racial makeup that will forever alter our nation’s understanding of itself is beginning to arrive. The friction and clash between generations, whites and minorities, genders, sexual orientations, and religious convictions will need a sure hand and a leader who understands and is committed to facilitating the necessary conversations and compromises needed to help the nation make that transition.

By these measures in this campaign, Obama has passed the leadership test with flying colors. The fact that he does this unglamorous and necessary work with a confident strategic outlook and a firm commitment to the interests of those he represents makes it imperative that he be our President.

In tonight’s event staging, Obama’s team symbolically built the White House at ground level in the middle of the huge throng of people and then peeled it open to allow the floor crowd — all small ordinary campaign donors — to surround and access Obama. It was a wonderful visual invitation to sit down with the Obama/Biden families, reflect on the legacy we’ve been given by those who have come before, share our common stories, and celebrate our common determination to take responsibility for the future of the nation.

Accidental? Not with Team Obama.

Final note:This is in recognition of the thousands of people who took on the responsibility for the well-being of their families, friends and neighbors, and to the man who gave them their voice: The DNC video tribute to Martin Luther King.