It was the evening of the official nomination of his predecessor, John Kerry, at the Democratic National Convention.

All of the party heavyweights had spoken.

The party loyalists were audience to fiery speeches by both Clintons, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Tom Daschle, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

And at 11 o'clock on the dot, as the large auditorium of the Fleet Center in Boston started to empty, while the remaining delegates expected nothing else...