I landed in DFW International early this evening, went home, changed and then went to a friend's wedding reception in downtown Dallas.

New York was great, though I wish the protesters had stayed civil. NYPD did a great job and the FDNY endorsement of the president was a pleasant surprise. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and senator Zell Miller were just amazing, more than what I hoped for. The whole convention just went wild.

I am so sleepy now. Will have to post day-by-day later. Check out this article on the Fort Worth Star Telegram last Monday, August 30th by Washington Bureau Chief Dave Montgomery:

Lone Star delegates easy to spot
By Dave Montgomery
Star-Telegram Washington Bureau

NEW YORK CITY - They've made emotional visits to Ground Zero, basked in the neon glitz of Times Square and abundantly sampled New York's cuisine and culture.

For the 273 Texas delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention, Job One, of course, is helping renominate President George W. Bush with a huge Lone Star send-off.

But the convention is also a marathon of parties, political pageantry and sightseeing, and delegates from Bush's home state are rising to the challenge. Appropriately, State Republican Chairwoman Tina Benkiser of Houston wisely began wearing a pedometer Sunday to log her mileage over the long days ahead.

With 138 delegates and 135 alternates, the Texas contingent is second only to California's in size and second to no one in state pride. With their Stetson hats, "Bush 2004" cowboy boots and Lone Star buttons, the Texans are by far the easiest to spot among the thousands of delegates descending on New York for the four-day convention.

"We're prime-time TV props," mused Norm Mason of Sugar Land, in looking forward to the final night of the convention on Thursday, when the Texans will be clad in matching Western attire in Madison Square Garden as Bush delivers his nomination speech. The Texas delegates have prime seating near the front of the convention arena.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla of San Antonio have been designated among seven permanent deputy co-chairmen at the convention, displaying the party's efforts to reach out to women and Hispanics.

Many are longtime political activists and veterans of past conventions, while others are relative newcomers to politics. At least one -- Ky Ninh, an alternate delegate from Carrollton -- could even be considered a newcomer to American-style democracy.

Ninh immigrated from Vietnam with his parents and brother in 1993 and became a citizen three years ago after then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey helped nudge his citizenship application through the Washington bureaucracy.

On Sunday, wearing a cowboy hat and a tie emblazoned with, "We the People," he talked of his excitement in participating in the nomination of an American president.

"You hear about the Republican Party being exclusive," said the 28-year-old software technician. "I don't think so. I'm here as testimony of being able to participate."

Larry Stevens, 48, of Fort Worth, one of eight delegates from Tarrant County, is participating in his third national convention after years of activism in local Republican politics. Tarrant County also has five alternate delegates at the convention.

A research scientist at Alcon Laboratories, he arrived over the weekend but planned to fly back to Fort Worth early today to receive a top award from his company. He will then board an airliner later today to return to New York, hoping to catch "the tail end" of opening night.

Other delegates from Tarrant County are county GOP Chairwoman Pat Carlson; Paul Stockard of Fort Worth; Ron Wright and Melba McDow of Arlington; and Richard Carr and Tom Quinones of Haltom City.

The five alternates are David "Pat" Six, David E. Stone Jr. and Charlotte Landon of Fort Worth; and Bill Burch and Laraine Bethke of Arlington.

The Texans are staying at the 44-story New York Hilton along with delegates from Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Like the rest of the city, the hotel, about two miles from Madison Square Garden, was awash in pre-convention chaos as delegates began pouring in over the weekend.

In an illustration of the Texans' stature as the president's home-state delegation, the Lone Star entourage was honored Sunday night at a closed reception at the New York Stock Exchange.

Dozens of Texans made what they considered command visits to Ground Zero, where terrorist hijackers demolished the twin towers of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people in the most lethal terrorist attack on American soil.

"It's more emotional than I thought it would be," said Jason Gill, an orthopedic surgeon from Dallas, who visited the site Sunday morning. "When you stop and think about what happened here, it's awe-inspiring."

Dave Montgomery, (202) 383-6016 dmontgomery@krwashington.com

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9534612.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp