The Republican convention began in earnest on Tuesday. After a Monday of uncertainty as Hurricane Gustav slammed into parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, the convention was back on track.

This was the day we learned exactly how strongly John McCain would make his imprint on the convention. It was pretty strong.

President Bush spoke from the White House, extolling the personal story of McCain. The emphasis was on McCain’s judgment, his tendency to buck party leadership (Bush wryly noted his and McCain’s past disagreements on policy), and his reform credentials.

Fred Thompson’s folksy talk took a long turn toward the somber with a detailed recounting of McCain’s experiences as a POW in Vietnam. The message was clear—McCain’s character had been forged in a crucible of almost unbelievable savagery. The honorable scamp who had so many demerits at the Naval Academy became the determined and principled John McCain who would take on vested interests as a public servant.

Thompson also painted Sarah Palin as being part of the same reform culture. We will hear more about this on Wednesday when the speeches will culminate with Palin’s vice presidential acceptance speech. The best line of the night was Thompson’s observation that Palin is the only vice presidential candidate in the history of the republic “who can field dress a moose… with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt.” Wild applause from the crowd.

The most remarkable sight was that of 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman extolling McCain’s credentials in prime time. Invoking Bill Clinton (at the Republican convention!) and McCain’s taking on Republican vested interests with strong reform ideas (at the Republican convention!), Lieberman made the case that McCain has an independent streak that this country needs right now.

With a final appeal to “Americans” regardless of party affiliation to unite behind the strong reform ticket of McCain and Palin, Lieberman basked in the applause of McCain’s convention. The odds are very long that he will not experience a similar moment at future Democratic conventions.

So, regardless of the pregnancy of Palin’s daughter, regardless of the issues of vetting swirling around McCain and his selection of Palin, the message of the convention should build each day. McCain and Palin are in the race to continue the reforms they have proposed and forced through in the past. They will be a ticket that will clean up Washington. With McCain’s years of D.C. experience and Palin’s enthusiasm and fearlessness, the argument goes, these two can make our government one to be proud of.

Missing from all this? Exactly what are they going to reform? What changes will they make? What is their vision of Washington’s role?

Tuesday night was a different set of messages than McCain has been communicating for the past several months. Those messages stressed continuity with President Bush’s economic policies and Iraq policies. Those messages (reinforced by Laura Bush’s speech on Tuesday) stressed finding more justices like Roberts and Alito for the Supreme Court.

That continuity, along with the strongly pro-life Palin’s nomination to the vice presidential slot, works well to get the Republican party faithful to unite behind McCain, especially evangelical voters.

Tuesday saw a message somewhat at odds with that Republican-unity theme, a message that McCain is sending out to independents and Reagan Democrats. We’ll know if it’s working in a couple of weeks.