Tuesday has turned out to be the highlight of this trip so far. After meeting Gov. Pedro Rosello of Puerto Rico three days ago and seeing him through our entire process, it was thoroughly rewarding witnessing his performance, which was simply magnificent.
Although hampered by the fact that several speeches were rescheduled earlier in the morning, the governor managed to handle the situation like a true statesman. There was so much energy in the air, and Rosello and the Puerto Rican Delegation displayed pride and honor as he delivered his speech.
"You reminded me of Felix Trinidad just before you were about to go on," I told him. The governor told me he was proud to be compared to the celebrated Puerto Rican boxer.
After he was finished we celebrated, but there were melancholy feelings for me because after three days of being his tracker, I knew my job had come to and end, and the fun was over.
I felt like a mother hen letting her chicks leave the nest. Gov. Rosello had done a wonderful job, and certainly soared high.
The day started much earlier, with a rehearsal for Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. He and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye reminisced about their experiences in the U.S. Senate. It was fun watching their camaraderie.
Later in the day I completed a rehearsal with Nevada's Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who made Christmas come early for the two pages in the Nevada delegation. She brought them backstage during the rehearsal to take pictures with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Sen. Bill Bradley. The kids were ecstatic.
The day was capped by wonderful speeches by Sen. Ted Kennedy, Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bradley.
You can sense the crowd's energy growing as the main event grows closer.
St. Thomas native Lesley Comissiong, 24, is attending the National Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. She graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1998 with a degree in political science and also has worked as a legislative researcher for V.I. Sen. George Goodwin.
