To follow up on a comment from PalGirl2008, I too thought the RNC stage looked better than the DNC one when photos were first released.  It is clear, however, one party planned with an awareness of TV, and one didn't.  Although the DNC stage struck me as busy in the still photos, on TV the backdrop to the speakers was fine, and not distracting.  With the RNC stage, TV viewers were either wondering what it was up there, why it was moving (the nausea-inducing flag), or why someone had chosen that image.   It was distracting, weird, and unintentionally humorous.

I also think role of speechwriters needs to be brought to the fore, especially after the plaudits for Palin's speech.  I may be wrong, but doesn't Obama write large portions of his major speeches? Comparing his remarks, both formal and informal, with The Audacity of Hope I am struck by how consistent the message is.  This strikes me as a good way of assessing what his reactions would be in office.  But if a politician is relying on speech-writers for what most Americans see, we don't have a true sense of what s/he knows or how s/he reacts.  This is perhaps a long way of saying that another competence gap is in performance in unscripted remarks — witness McCain's strange interview of last week, and Palin's avoidance of the press.