From Denver by phone, e-mail

Maybe sitting here 1,366 miles from the Pepsi Center puts me too far from the scene of the Democratic National Convention to know what’s going on.

But I’m not completely in the dark.

There’s always the state Democratic Party blog.

And Bryan Bissell of PolitickerWA.com is on the scene for some blow-by-blow.

There’s the phone. Rep. Rick Larsen called to let me know he had a fine time at a Sunday night reception for Washington’s delegation of which he is a superdelegate for Barack Obama.

This morning he dined on scrambled eggs and fruit among other offerings at a breakfast gathering of the delegation. Rep. Jay Inslee spoke to the crowd today and Larsen is on the schedule for Tuesday.

On the subject of politics, Larsen said he’s not encountered any of the tension fomented by upset supporters of Hillary Clinton.

“So far I don’t see disunity. I only see unity,” he said.

He pointed out Tuesday night’s convention schedule will put Clinton in the spotlight, “an opportunity she should have after her historic run. It will be like a rock concert reception as it should be,” he said.

I did press him on the potential of a surprise when the roll call is conducted Wednesday night, pointing out how the Florida and Michigan delegations have had their voting rights fully restored.

“There’s no chance of an upset,” he said.

Meanwhile the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain is also pretty busy this first day of the convention.

First came what will be the campaign’s daily NOT READY ‘08 MORNING MEMO. This one focused on the schism among Clinton and Obama Democrats at the outset of the convention.

To iterate the point, McCain started running a TV ad featuring a woman who says she backed Clinton and now will go for McCain.

Here it is: