Republicans storm enemy territory

The GOP is staging a raid behind enemy lines by holding its convention in New York City. The Republicans have never held their presidential nominating convention here before. The Democrats have been here plenty – five times since 1868. That was the year Tammany Hall Democrats nominated former New York Gov. Horatio Seymour on the 21st ballot to take on Civil War Gen. Ulysses Grant in the first presidential contest after the end of the conflict. Grant won, retired here after the presidency and his tomb is here in Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River.

The last Democrat nominated in New York City was in 1992 when Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, won the nod and went on to win the White House. Georgia Democratic Gov. Zell Miller delivered the convention keynote for Clinton at Madison Square Garden at the Democrats’ ’92 convention. Miller, now an ardent supporter of Bush, will be back on stage here next Wednesday night giving the keynote speech at the Republican Convention.