Alaska's Bloggers Reporting in From the Democratic National Convention in Denver

Both Celtic Diva and Writing Raven have begun making regular posts from the DNC in Denver. Go check out their reporting. The Alaska Report's Dennis Zaki hasn't posted at his blog or his electronic journal yet, but I expect that will change within hours.

Celtic Diva hopes to get an interview in today with Fairbanks Mayor, Jim Whitaker, who wll be speaking tomorrow evening:

DENVER - The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and the Obama for America campaign announced today that two prominent Republicans will address the Democratic National Convention on Monday, August 25, 2008 and Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Former United States Congressman Jim Leach and Fairbanks Alaska Mayor Jim Whitaker will speak about Barack Obama's record of bringing Republicans, Independents and Democrats together to bring change and his vision for unifying our country.

Former Congressman Jim Leach will speak on Monday, August 25, 2008. The opening night of the Convention, themed as "One Nation", will highlight Barack Obama's life story, his commitment to change, and the voices of Americans calling for a new direction for this country. Michelle Obama will be the keynote speaker on Monday night and the Convention will feature a video tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Fairbanks Mayor Jim Whitaker will speak on Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Tuesday night, themed as "Renewing America’s Promise" will focus on Americans' concerns about the economy, rising healthcare costs and the need to expand educational opportunities for all. United States Senator Hillary Clinton will be the keynote speaker on Tuesday night.

Former United States Congressman Jim Leach represented southeastern Iowa in the US Congress from 1977-2007 and earned a reputation as one of the most respected foreign policy experts in Washington. Jim Whitaker is the Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska. Leach and Whitaker endorsed Barack Obama earlier this month.

Writing Raven commented yesterday about aspects of the security around the convention site. Dennis sent this e-mail to friends:

I'm in the land of Obama. It's beautiful as always in Colorado today. I lived here off and on for 10 years and loved ever minute of it. I'm tempted to move here for the winter - and I've only been here two hours. The place is crawling with cops, media, and secret service snipers...... I forgot what they look like living in Palmer... I guess the cops are expecting a war. I was in a great riot here in 1987 for the MLK day vs the KKK festivities. I even got tear gassed! It was awesome. Great for pics... I finally got my fancy new video camera and will be shooting everything that moves. I'll post pics and video on my blog when I get a chance.

Another great blogging site for the behind-the-scenes events, is firedoglake's Campaign Silo.