Obama Camp Says No Way to Three-Day Convention

By Jonathan Weisman
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Aides to Sen. Barack Obama said this morning "there is not a shred of truth" to a story in the Los Angeles Times that the presumptive Democratic nominee is considering cutting the Democratic convention from four days to three.

The reason is simple enough: Aug. 28, when Obama is scheduled to become the first African American to accept the nomination of a major party, is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

"Thursday night is going to be historic," one aide traveling with Obama said.

The LA Times reported that Democratic officials both within the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee are considering ending the convention on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The traditional, four-day convention has lost its drama as the event becomes a scripted coronation of a nominee long chosen, and both parties have had difficulty filling the four days of air time. Consequently, the networks have cut back dramatically on live coverage.

A three-day convention might be appealing, considering the Republicans will meet the following week, giving Obama little time to revel in his newly official role as nominee before public attention turns elsewhere. The LA Times also raised the expectation that John McCain will name his vice presidential running mate the week before the GOP convention, stealing some of Obama's thunder.

But history is history, Obama aides said, and they're not about to trample on their story line.