Hits and misses from final night of the Democratic National Convention 2020 08 21 en

While former Vice President Joe Bidens acceptance speech was the centerpiece of the night, there were a slew of other speeches by Democrats with aspirations for the national stage -- including former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Below the best -- and worst -- of the final night of the Democrats quadrennial convention. from President Donald Trump and his allies suggesting that the former vice president wasnt all there mentally. (At 78, Biden would be the oldest person ever elected to a first term as president -- taking that record from Trump. ) While the start of the speech was somewhat rocky, Biden not only settled into the speech but did something I did not think he could do: He was charismatic, forceful, emotional and powerful. Anyone who watched that speech would have no doubt as to whether Biden is ready, willing and able to do the job for which he is running. But Biden did more than clear the competence hurdle. He delivered a speech aimed directly at the middle of the country, ideologically speaking. "This is not a partisan moment," Biden said in the early moments of the speech. "This is an American moment. " He repeatedly appealed to the common decency, humanity and compassion of all Americans. He reminded people that we can and should be better than what divides us, that America could do anything it set its mind to. I will admit I didnt think Biden had it in him to deliver a speech that good. I was wrong. * Tammy Duckworth: The camera panning up from the Illinois senators wheelchair to her artificial limbs and then to her, a wounded Iraq vet, standing to speak was pretty damn moving all on its own. Then she started speaking. And man oh man, did she lay the wood to President Donald Trump, blasting his view of the military and what patriotism means. And in her most devastating line, Duckworth said this of Trump: "We have a coward-in-chief who wont stand up to Vladimir