Political Partying

I'm hardly a political animal. I can no longer vote in England because I have no residence there, and I cannot vote in the U.S because I'm not a citizen. But the upcoming general election is just too amusing to ignore. I doubt either political party would choose to consider themselves as mere entertainment, but the circus which was last week's Democratic convention and now this week's Republican are just so shallow. To think in England I used to think the aim of the conventions was to convert voters and explain policies to everyday people. In reality they are as stage managed as any Hollywood movie, full of rousing speeches with empty promises and little videos designed to make you cry.
I've only met two Bush supporters in the entire time I've lived in the States. It's not my place or intention to perpetuate the idea that he's stupid, but I have to tell you about the pantomime I saw this evening during NBC's coverage of the President's speech to his party's convention via satellite.
The speech was shown a few minutes later than he actually delivered it. What was shown was the President speaking, then apparently pausing regularly for applause and laughter. The problem was they never showed what he could hear, so what viewers saw was the President standing smiling and nodding at silence like he was a complete idiot!
If I didn't know better, I would swear NBC had done it deliberately. But only the English Press would be that cynical..