Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley hadn’t long to speak Wednesday at the National Democratic Convention, but he did get off a quotable line he may continue to use: “My opponent talks like Barack Obama but votes like George Bush.” A neat summation of the general argument his campaign is fueled on (though not one that would fit all Senate campaigns around the country).

Merkley was sandwiched between Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Tom Allen of Maine, two other Democratic challengers of Republican Senate incumbents – the Democratic challenger segment.

C-SPAN We haven’t had a lot to say about the conventions (though we’ve been watching, and will again next week). But we will say this, emphatically: if you possibly can, watch it (and every other major political event) on C-SPAN, where you can see the whole unadulterated thing and draw your own conclusions without having your own thoughts driven out by the chattering heads that dominate all the other news channels.

You want the straight stuff on TV? C-SPAN. Accept no substitutes.