There has been much talk about what’s happening during the 2008 Democratic and GOP Conventions as well as the presidential election in general.

It got me thinking… how did we even get here?

I thought it might be neat to look back to the 2004 conventions and see just where Senators McCain and Obama were.

Senator McCain was at the end of his third term as Arizona’s Senator (he would go on to win the fourth term in ‘04) and had spent 21 years in public service.

McCain had campaigned hard against President Bush during the 2000 election and they have basically remained adversaries ever since a particularly brutal fight for the S. Carolina primary.

For the 2004 GOP Convention, McCain was a principle speaker for the first night, Monday, August 30.

It was quite a different year for Obama in 2004.

He was in his first Senate race for Illinois and was chosen to be the keynote speaker for the Democratic Convention which nominated Sen. Kerry.