If you want to you can get arrested in Denver, but the officers operating near the DNC are restrained, respectful, and calm.

One of the striking impressions as one strolls the areas outside the Colorado Convention Center such as Denver's 16th Street Mall area, is that the law enforcement presence is huge. Officers from numerous agencies are present, sometimes sporting impressive crowd control tools and gear. They are here, prepared, visible, yet generally non-intrusive, and utterly professional in their demeanor.

There have been a number of incidents for them to respond to, such as the one an officer described to me as discovering a package that, upon inspection, he called in to the bomb disposal team, because it "definitely wasnt somebody's lunch." There have been minor challenges for them - debris hurled from above, protesters without proper permits and/or identification (which resulted in the arrest documented here in pictures,) and naturally some plain old unruly behavior.

Yet, as far as I can determine chatting with the men and women arrayed througout the area for the protection of everybody, they are well-prepared for the long shifts, and responding with admirable restraint. I've seen no evidence of disproportionate use of force, just a widespread calming presence that reassures almost everybody. (There are always some who have a beef with enforcement agencies and their agents, and they can be relied on to lean more toward confrontation, naturally.)

If you want to get arrested in Denver, you surely can. Thus far, though, retstraint has been the operational posture of every single officer I've spoken to.

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News happens all over Denver during the DNC

While waiting for a cab to get to the action from one of the media hotels this morning, I met Wallace Williams, a long time Democratic Organizer who has campaigned with former President Bill Clinton in Mississippi, among his other extensive achievements.

Wallace cites President Clinton's speech as one of the key points of the entire convention. President Clinton has a nearly unmatched ability to connect with certain constituencies that are considered key to assembling a winning coalition of voters in November. He's looking for the former president to "hit it out of the park" during his time on the podium. Clinton and Obama have often been compared in terms of presence, charisma, and the talent that allows them to correct with a crowd in a way that makes many people in a crowd each feel that they are the personal target of the speech.

Williams sees Biden as an excellent choice for the Vice President. Asked if perhaps the choice of a candidate thought to be stronger in areas that Obama might lack experience, he dismissed the notion that it represents any sort of problem. Biden is a formidable campaigner with a great track record, his skill set and experience blend will with Obama's own and srenghten the ticket in the synergistic way that the voters have a right to expect from a modern presidential ticket.

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