The quadrennial whine is wrong

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Here come the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions -- and the quadrennial whine.You've heard it: The conventions are a big waste of time and money. They don't pick the presidential nominees, and platform battles are rare. They're orchestrated shows or, worse, infomercials.The critics are right, to a point. There's no suspense about the presidential nominees, harmony is the goal, and the conventions are heavily scripted. So what?The Democratic convention that starts Monday in Denver and the Republican convention that convenes on Labor Day in St. Paul are neither pointless nor irrelevant.Not required by the Constitution, national political conventions survive after 176 years because they still serve a purpose. Their role has evolved since the election of 1832. Today they rally the major parties and give them time in the public eye to express -- and sell -- their values and their presidential nominees. The conventions signal that it's time to focus on the fall election. They encourage us to consider who we are as Americans and how we want to go forward.While the parties do try to control every image and moment, they simply can't. Protesters outside and emotions inside are wild cards. In the age of 24-7 blogging and unblinking cameras, the unexpected is almost inevitable.The Democratic and Republican conventions four years ago each cost about $90 million, and more will be spent this year. Thousands of journalists, including a team from Media General, will cover the conventions. Our goal is to take our readers, viewers and Web visitors inside so they'll be educated consumers of the political show. If the Olympics are about athletic prowess and form, the conventions are about putting forth the candidates' style and message in political theater.These conventions are historic, and both promise drama.During their four days in Denver, the Democrats will try to keep the focus on nominee Barack Obama even as Hillary and Bill Clinton swan on stage and she fosters catharsis for her supporters. How will Obama, the son of a Kenyan and a Kansan, reassure voters that he's "one of us" and not a risky choice? Meanwhile, Democrats also promise to get tough on McCain.In St. Paul, Republicans will use their four days to make the case for John McCain in the White House during turbulent global times -- without tying him to its current unpopular occupant. President Bush will speak the first night. How will McCain, who's vying to be the oldest first-term president in history, reassure voters that he's not too old at 72? Will McCain poke conservatives in the eye with his choice of a running mate? The GOP is unlikely to mince words about Obama.Conventions are the off-Broadway stage of American politics. Few knew Obama until he spoke at the Democratic convention just four years ago. McCain made his national debut on the 1988 Republican convention stage. Who will be this year's surprise star? He or she could be a contender in 2012.So, bring on the conventions. They're everything the critics say -- and more.((Marsha Mercer, the Washington bureau chief of Media General News Service, has covered every Democratic and Republican national convention since 1984. E-mail mmercer(at)mediageneral.com or comment at www.mgwashington.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)