Clint Eastwood, despite what many in the media suggest, did not overshadow Mitt Romney.  Clint was being Clint.  He should not have been restricted in his endorsement of Romney and in the end was quite amusing despite his rambling.  Cut the man a little slack.  Afterall, he is in his 80s.  In the end, Clint was a non-issue.  Last night belonged to Romney.  It was the biggest night of Mitt Romney’s political career and he rose to the occasion.  Besides simply accepting the Republican nomination for President, he explained to the American people why they should vote for him over President Obama.  He reached out to women by pointing to his mother’s run for political office and how she said “a woman is just as capable of making big decisions as a man”.  He reminded the audience that he appointed a female lieutenant Governor when he was the Governor of Massachusetts.   He put a human face on what at times, has seemed fake, almost mannequin like.  He laid out clearly and concisely who he was and where he came from.  His speech had the correct amount of emotional and substantive content.  He did not spend an inordinate amount of time bashing President Obama.  So while he didn’t hit a home run, he certainly hit a double or triple.  President Obama will never be beaten as an orator and that is probably one of his greatest flaws because at some point actions must speak louder than words.  It’s not enough to simply tell a great story.  The story must become a reality or it means nothing.  Romney made a point of asking are you better off than you were four years ago?  To millions of Americans, the answer is no.  Most importantly, he addressed all of the pressing issues, while only mentioning abortion and gay marriage in one short sentence.  Romney has now built some momentum as the campaign truly begins.  It will be interesting to see how his speech and the convention played to independents and women.  But there is no question that Romney did what he needed to do.  So the only question left is, can he and Ryan build on that momentum.