Carville is Worried About the Greek Temple Speech

As well he should be:

The Rajun Cajun is at it again. Over lunch at the fab Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver, the guy who made Bill Clinton president aired concerns over how Sen. Barack Obama will handle his outdoor speech Thursday night at Invesco Field at Mile High. After hearing stories that the stage looks very ancient Greek, he said, "I want to see this temple thing," he said. Democracy Corps pal, pollster Stan Greenberg, added that he is anxious over how Obama will perform in the huge stadium, how the camera angles will show it and if the whole affair will make Obama look too distant from the crowd. "I'm nervous about the stadium," says Greenberg. "Only a few people can do it." He's right. It's normally a stage reserved only for the Pope or the Rolling Stones. He said some of his concerns are if Obama will be able to "connect with the people." Inside the Pepsi Center, home to the Democratic National Convention, the stage is in a sea of supporters and most camera angles show cheering supporters. That won't be the case at Mile High, some Democrats say. Also, he is concerned that stadiums foster a festive atmosphere, with people doing the wave or tossing balloons and beach balls. Will it distract Obama? We'll see.

I think there's a looming P.R. disaster for the Democrats. Everything has to go perfectly, and even then the image that's portrayed to the voters may be one of arrogance and ego rather than a future commander-in-chief. Had Obama given his speech at the Pepsi Center the visuals would have been a lot more impressive in my view, and there wouldn't have been the risk of overreaching.

Billy Graham could pull off stadium shows. I'm not sure Obama can. We'll see what happens tonight.