Last evening I spent nearly five hours inside the Xcel Center. While there were multiple speakers, it was former New York mayor and former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani whom I would most like to meet. He was funny, honest and persuasive.

While seasoned politicians resort to kissing babies or begging for corporate contributions to gain a national audience, a 15-year-old simply wrote 434 powerful words. Those words propelled her to a coveted speaking spot during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul at 6:30 p.m. today.

Nik Ritchie helped start the Ron Paul club at the University of Central Florida. Although John McCain appears headed for the Republican nomination, Ritchie feels that Paul accomplished a lot. “No one knew who he was before he ran for president, and he did very well considering how unknown he was,” he said.