Nathan Johnson is executive director of the King County Republican Party. He's worked as a research analyst for the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, served as a field coordinator for Mike McGavick's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign, and worked as a research analyst with the Senate Republican Caucus. He's currently attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

By Nathan Johnson

Yesterday, the convention schedule got back to normal. Senator Fred Thompson spoke powerfully of John McCain's personal background of putting our country first and delivered the harshest critique yet of Obama's empty rhetoric. His slogans and one-liners had the crowd rolling. It was vintage Fred Thompson with an added flair and the delegates loved it.

For me, it was incredibly intriguing to have Al Gore's running mate from 2000 on stage endorsing what he termed the true change ticket in McCain/Palin. Senator Joe Lieberman was able to convey a clear message to many independent and Democratic voters who have yet to make up their minds.

Even though Senator Lieberman's intended audience was most certainly broader than the delegates seated in the convention hall, the response from those seated around me was exuberant… and it seemed like the Senator even enjoyed himself. At times, his subtle jabs cut so deeply to the core of Obama's faux change message, that even some of us delegates were shaking our heads in amazement.

It was great having Joe Lieberman with us. A man who has certainly cut his teeth pursuing policies that he believes puts the country first. Even in a somewhat unfamiliar Republican crowd, he did not hesitate to mention McCain's work on the environment or immigration reform, which made his message even more persuasive and authentic.

It's often hard to tell how certain speeches play out to the national television audience, but it seems to me that Lieberman's calm and collected exhortation to fellow independents and Democrats hit the mark.

Everyone anxiously awaits Governor Sarah Palin's speech this evening. We anticipate a game-changer and based upon the vicious attacks in the press and blogosphere, I suspect liberals across this country are dreading tonight's speech. I am confident that Sarah Palin will not disappoint!