So, Barack Obama has opted for an Athenian themed backdrop for his grand proclamation tonight. Everyone grab a toga. I for one was expecting to see a nativity scene, complete with Obama sweetly smelling of frankincense and myrhh, with random livestock wandering in and out of camera view.

The backdrop is a bit extreme. Over the top. Too much. But then again, very few things Obama has done during this marathon campaign have detracted from the belief in his own anointment. From The New York Post

The curved, columned backdrop does resemble the portico of the White House, and blue carpeting and podium surrounded by white stars is suggestive of the Oval Office, other crew members said.

Democrats quickly pointed out that George W. Bush accepted the Republican nomination before a similar, though less elaborate, stage in 2004.

Here we go with yet another brave presumption, similar to the one last seen skulking behind that faux Obama / presidential seal last month.

I do eagerly anticipate the speech, and what Obama will focus on. Thus far, we have not seen any real meat on the bones - the thing furthest from this convention, besides maybe the planet of Neptune, has been any real substance to legitimate the Obama candidacy. He needs some - with the economy growing, energy prices falling, and Iraq succeeding, “change” is about out of gas.

I also want to see the bump in the polls, or based on recent daily tracking data, the lack thereof, that comes out of Obama’s pronouncement. I find the idea of a John McCain counter-ad, to be run in battleground states during Obama’s acceptance of the Democrats’ nomination, intriguing. Depending on the message, a head-on confrontation with Obama could be quite effective. If Obama leaves the convention tonight with only a six point lead (which is what the Gallup daily tracker is at the time I hit the “publish” button), the Democrats are in serious trouble.