Live blog from the 2008 Colorado Republican Party convention

10:25 a.m. U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Loveland) and former Gov. Bill Owens are nominating Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate.

Schaffer, Owens said, "stood by our side during all those years of reform."

State Sen. Josh Penry (R-Grand Junction), state Rep. Rob Witwer, state Rep. Cory Gardner, and El Paso County GOP Chair Greg Garcia, and Douglas County Commissioner candidate Jill Repella, were among those who also seconded Schaffer's nomination.

10:34 a.m. Schaffer accepts the nomination.

Schaffer opens his speech by talking about his late grandmother, 94-year-old Mary Schaffer, who died recently.

"She taught me that integrity counts," he said.

10:39 a.m. "Integrity" is the clear theme of Schaffer's speech.

10:40 a.m. Schaffer says "let’s face it, we need to have a little bit of introspection." 

"We could sustain a little bit of reform within the Republican Party, too," he said, noting he challenged President Bush on No Child Left Behind, and other Republicans on spending.

"A bad idea is a bad idea whichever party suggests it," Schaffer said. "It's just that that other party comes up with bad ideas more often than ours does."

As for the Democrats, he said, "what they offer is not change --it's just putting lipstick on a pig."

He called for supporting U.S. soldiers.

He said U.S. Supreme Court justices must "understand this principle that individuals matter most, that the Constitution is about defending the rights of individuals."

10:45 a.m. Freedom, he says, doesn't come from an oligarch or the Constitution, but from God.

10:49 a.m. He introduces his family, pointing out his daughter Sarah won a national penmanship contest.

10:52 a.m. Bob Schaffer is approved uncontested for the U.S. Senate primary ballot.

10:53 a.m. Nominations are starting for one of the only major contested races of the convention, Republican National Committeeman.

The race is between state Sen. Dave Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs), former State Senate Majority Leader Mark Hillman (R-Burlington), and GOP activist Leondray Gholston. Hillman is the favorite, though Schultheis is supported by the relatively small but vocal contingent of Ron Paul supporters.

11:29 a.m. Seconding the nomination of Republican National Committeewoman Lily Nunez, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Margrave (R-Fort Morgan) said Nunez "is beautiful on the outside, and she's beautiful on the inside."

11:41 a.m. Nunez was approved by acclaimation.

Colorado GOP Chair Dick Wadhams: "When she shows up at a national committee meeting, the whole room lights up."

11:44 a.m. People are lining up to give 15-second speeches for the 385-person national delegate race. Candidates who exceed 15 seconds have their mike cut.

"We are going to stick to this very tightly," Wadhams said.

11:53 a.m. Some of the national delegate candidate speeches:

Robert Reilly, a Ron Paul supporter wearing a large felt leprechaun hat: "My name is Robert Reilly, and I'm living the life of Reilly!"

Terilyn Huntington wore a cape as part of her "superdelegate" costume. "Because in this party, we are all superdelegates!" she said.

State Sen. Tom Wiens (R-Castle Rock) asked for delegates' vote "so I can help John McCain beat Obama and Chelsea's mom."

CO-1 GOP candidate George Lilly, a Ron Paul supporter, indirectly criticized McCain. "A noble military career does not justify an ignoble legislative career," he said.

One candidate supporting Ron Paul: "I've been hearing some boos (for Ron Paul). Is that what we stand for? You all should be ashamed of yourself." Boos ensued.

Kristy Burton, head of Colorado for Equal Rights that's sponsoring the proposed Personhood amendment: "We're going to protect every unborn child here in Colorado."

12:14 p.m. Most delegate candidates are touting either the (pro-McCain) Unity Slate or the Ron Paul slate.

12:21 p.m. One female delegate candidate: "I'm pro-life and pro….whatever it was," she said to laughter.

12:26 p.m. One delegate candidate, leading a second person wearing an elephant head: "please vote for me so my fiance don't kill me."

12:29 p.m. One delegate candidate, on the yellow t-shirts many Ron Paul supporters are wearing featuring the Texas Congressman's head: "Is it just me, or do these t-shirts remind you a lot of Vladimir Lenin?" Ron Paul supporters in the crowd vocally disapproved.

12:40 p.m. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) led off his speech with the National Journal rankings he likes to cite showing Barack Obama as the most liberal senator and Lamborn as (tied for) the most conservative U.S. House member.

Noting how much gas prices have increased since Democrats took over the U.S. House in 2006, Lamborn called the gas price hike the "Pelosi premium."

12:45 p.m. Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said "while it would appear that we are wandering through the wilderness ...I am convinvedc that our deliverance is at hand.

"No sooner have the Democrats seized power in Colroado that they begin to act like...well, Democrats. ...In Colorado, it's only a matter of time before the voters begin to feel it in their wallets or their quality of life.

"But will it begin in 2008, 2010 or 2012?" Suthers asked. "Ladies and gentlemen, that will depend upon us."

Unaffilliated voters, he said, are trending towards Democrats -- those voters need to swing Republican for the GOP to recapture power in Colorado, he said.

12:51 p.m. Secretary of State and CO-6 candidate Mike Coffman said this year's election has never been more clear-cut.

"Democrats want to increase spending. They want to end the Bush tax cuts at a time when America’s working families can least afford it."

Democrats, he said, want to cut Iraq war funding for "their domestic pet projects" and "wave the white flag and surrender in the war on terror.

1:14 p.m. Marilyn Musgrave opened her speech with a story of how her office planned to send a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to a World War II veteran, along with a message containing a reference to God and including the phrase "in the year of our Lord."

But the Architect of the Capitol -- in charge of distributing flags flown over the Capitol -- crossed out the references to God and the Lord in the message.

"I was furious, and I called the Architect of the Capitol into my office," Musgrave said. The architect explained to Musgrave that he wasn't allowed to include religious references in flag certificates.

"And I told the Architect of the Capitol, my constituents don't even know you exist," Musgrave said. "And you are not going to censor my right to have (religious references on flag certificates)."

1:32 p.m.  Seen last night in the parking lot of the Westminster Westin Hotel: state Rep. Douglas Bruce (R-Colorado Springs) standing next to his black Cadillac, pantsless -- apparently to change pants for dinner.

For those who are wondering, the TABOR author chooses briefs over boxers. 

1:44 p.m. Virtually every Republican state legislative incumbent and candidate was given time to speak. The convention's running well ahead of schedule this year, allowing ample speaking time.

One wag: "When they get the candidates from Denver speaking, you know they're getting bottom of the barrel." 

1:50 p.m. Jeff Wright, state field coordinator for Ron Paul's Colorado campaign, has called for five minutes for a Ron Paul representative to speak following Mitt Romney's remarks on behalf of John McCain. The motion failed on a voice vote, but Wright then called for a division of the question.

Dick Wadhams does not look happy.

1:55 p.m. Wright's motion was voted on by people standing for "yes" or "no" on the question -- Wright's motion failed by a surprisingly wide margin. It looks like Paul supporters won't be getting speaking time after Romney.

2:00 p.m. The College Republicans are offering 10 reasons why Hillary Clinton supports the College Republicans.

Reason #10: "No matter how bad it gets, we never ever give up."

"They get the award for creativity," Wadhams said.

2:25 p.m. Bob Schaffer told PolitickerCO he "feels great" following his nomination.

Asked what the next step for him was, Schaffer said, "This is the first real day of the campaign, essentially."

Asked if he's seen anything surprising at the convention today, Schaffer said many independent Democrats have turned out to support him.

2:38 p.m. Mitt Romney has taken the stage. Schaffer introduced him.

"There are more Republicans in this room than in my whole state," Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, opened to laughter.

"McCain wasn't my first pick for president - I was," Romney said.

2:42 p.m. Romney called Colorado "a critical state at a critical time," facing challenges such as jihadists, the economy, the environment, and education.

When it comes to issues, Romney said, Obama and McCain "could not be more different."

"I want a president like John McCain who knows the best ally peace has ever known is a strong America," he said.

Sometimes Obama's positions have puzzled Romney, he said -- such as favoring a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq "even as they're on the eve of success."

"Sometime I wonder how Barack Obama got where he got on this issue," he said.

Oh yeah, he said  -- "Barack Obama hasn't been there in two years. He hasn't seen the success of the surge."

Bush would admit he's made mistakes, Romney said.

But, he added, Bush "has kept America safe these last six years."

The most important right -- one that the ALCU often forgets, Romney said -- is the right to be kept alive, he said.

"I want a president who will keep us alive," Romney said.

2:50 p.m. Romney criticized Obama's and Hillary Clinton's proposals for government-run health care.

Romney said he didn't think "the guys, the bureaucrats who ran the Katrina cleanup ought to run our health care system."

2:52 p.m. During Romney's speech, a few sign-wielding Ron Paul supporters are marching around the convention floor.