John McCain was famously booed at this convention last year. By my count, McCain has been booed at least four -- maybe five -- times this year. The audience booed him when he spoke yesterday. They boo him whenever a speaker mentions his name.

They booed McCain when former U.N. ambassador, conservative rock-star and future secretary of state John Bolton spoke to the convention this afternoon.

I have great access, but even I couldn't get a seat in the ballroom for John McCain's speech. Instead, I'm set up to watch in the exhibit hall with dozens of other true believers who were shut out of the main event. The line to get in snaked back hundreds of feet through the lower level of the hotel. Everyone here wants to see how McCain will appeal to the crowd here, now that "the conservative's conservative," Mitt Romney, is out of the race.

It was a terrific speech to go out with. Mitt Romney addressed a packed ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C., making official the news that had been circulating this morning. He's leaving the race, he says, so that his campaign does not undermine the war effort. Fighting on until the convention, Romney said, would prevent the Republican frontrunner from fighting effectively against Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Both of those candidates, he said, have announced their desire to retreat and embrace defeat in Iraq. "Sen.

I'm sitting at a "French" bistro in the Denver International Airport, tapping this out on my Blackberry, awaiting a flight to Washington D.C., now twice delayed.I'm headed for the Conservative Political Action Conference, where some of America's finest meet and Republican presidential candidates come to fete.

I'll be posting regularly from the Omni Shoreham. And if any RedBlue readers are attending and want to meet up, drop me a line at Ben -at- redblueamerica.com.