I had planned a long pitch to you here, but the preparations for the Convention tomorrow have sapped my last few ergs of energy. It has all been said by this point, in any event. I couldn’t be any more committed to the Obama campaign, and I have done everything in my power to advance it; but I can’t join the delegation to Denver without the support of every single VDB reader who shows up in Barre.

It’s basically the end of the Lord of the Rings, if you think about it.

Frodo finds, in that final book, that he can’t make it to the summit of Mount Doom. It isn’t in him, for whatever reason. He needs to be carried that last mile, and only then can the Fellowship of the Ring — that small delegation of hobbits from the green hilly country of the Shire — complete their mission: turning back the Darkness, and paving the way for the return of the King.

And except for the furry feet, that’s basically where I am right now. In need of being carried.

So in addition to your vote, if you plan to be in Barre, allow me one last additional favor.

It’s called Each One Reach One, and it works like this: if every committed reader manages to convince just one person in the Hall tomorrow before the voting starts, that will put it over the top.

In exchange, I promise you coverage of this 2008 Convention like you’ll never see again, for the rest of your natural-born lives. My goal will be to act as your eyes and ears on the ground, to forward your questions and to flash the answers back as quickly as I can.

And I promise my undying gratitude.

See you tomorrow in Barre — in three dimensions, of all things.