It’s Gustav over Obama for Carville

DENVER -- James Carville, architect of many Democratic victories, wasn't in Denver on Thursday for Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the finale of the Democratic National Convention.

Carville rushed out of the Palm restaurant Wednesday night, high-fiving fellow Democrats and strangers while barely breaking stride.

His hasty departure was personal, not political.

He was heading home to New Orleans to remove his two daughters, Matty and Emma, as Tropical Storm Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast.

Carville, who was in Denver as a CNN analyst, ran Bill Clinton's comeback-kid win in 1992 over incumbent President George H.W. Bush.

Carville was seen throughout downtown Denver this week on daily jogs.

PRIME TERRITORY

MSNBC scored exposure points with its Union Station location, where thousands of commuters converged for light rail and shuttle buses.

The outdoor set drew thousands during the broadcasts.

The other networks settled on sites outside the Pepsi Center, which had proximity advantages for pulling in guests, but John Q. Public never got close to any of the on-air personalities because of the security ring that kept regular folks blocks away.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Among the happiest-to-be-alive for the convention was host committee co-chair Steve Farber, who led Denver's effort to land the convention. Four years ago, Farber needed a kidney to stay alive. He received one from his son, Gregg. Steve Farber and his law partner, Norm Brownstein, merged with Las Vegas power attorney Frank Schreck over a year ago to form Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. ...

Joe Ellis, chief operating officer of the Denver Broncos, no doubt had two good reasons why he wasn't particularly keen on having Obama's acceptance speech take place at Invesco Field at Mile High. No. 1: concern over the condition of the playing field after a paneled surface was placed over the grass. No. 2: Ellis' cousin is President George W. Bush. ...

One of the security strategies used by the Denver police was a page out of military manuals: When undermanned, create the illusion that you have more manpower. That explains why pickup trucks with a dozen armed-to-the-teeth cops hanging on the sides kept having a presence on the busy 16th Street Mall, the main thoroughfare to the Pepsi Center. Denver's police force was smaller than those at previous bigger-city DNC sites.

SIGHTINGS

Susan Eisenhower, grand-daughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, among the early speakers at Invesco Field. Her grand-mother, Mamie, grew up in Denver, and her grandfather made Denver his western White House. President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in Denver in September 1955 after playing 27 holes of golf at Cherry Hills Golf Club. ... Harold Ickes, the chief arm-twister and delegate hunter for Hillary Clinton, on a 16th Street shuttle bus Wednesday near Union Station, looking drawn and haggard from a long, losing campaign. He had just left the Pepsi Center, after Bill Clinton's speech. Ickes didn't stay around for Obama's appearance or Joe Biden's speech. ... At the Palm restaurant (Westin Hotel) on Wednesday night: 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry and wife Teresa; and at a patio table, Washington insider Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report and a political analyst for the National Journal and CNN. ... At Ruth's Chris Steak House: Fox talk-show host Sean Hannity, and at another table, comedian Chevy Chase, ordering a $900 bottle of Margaux wine. On Thursday, Hannity's talk-show co-host, Alan Colmes, was seen having lunch at Dixon's.

MAY I RECOMMEND

Restaurant Week runs Monday through Sunday in Las Vegas, with many of the top restaurants in town offering a special three-course prix fixe dinner for $50.08. A portion of the price will benefit Three Square, which assists hunger relief in Southern Nevada. For more information: www.threesquare.org.

THE PUNCH LINE

"I'm gonna Barack your world." -- From David Letterman's "Top Ten Democratic National Convention Pickup Lines."

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.