Post's Milbank Notes Condom-on-Banana Festivities Outside Dem Convention

By now I'm sure you've seen the cable networks give behind-the-scenes glimpses of their newsrooms, green rooms, spin rooms, and other inner workings of the Pepsi Center in Denver.

But that's just scratching the surface. Washington Post's Dana Milbank used his August 26 "Washington Sketch" feature to give readers a taste of the carnival atmosphere that's descended on Denver with the arrival of the Democratic Convention, complete with bowling for abortion and the ever-so-fun condom-on-banana race (see Milbank's video here or by clicking on the picture to the right):

Away from the convention proceedings, Denver became a parade ground for the full panoply of liberal interest-group politics. Planned Parenthood hosted a dance party called "Sex, Politics and Cocktails." Code Pink put on a "Make Out Not War" concert. Near the entrance to the convention grounds, representatives of Trojan condoms handed out samples and invited delegates to see how long it would take them to put a prophylactic on a banana.

The Stonewall Democrats held a "tea party" to celebrate gay delegates. The Feminist Majority celebrated women. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice had a "Strike for Your Rights" bowling night, and the Arab American Institute had a "Comedy Kabob" improv. During a four-hour period yesterday, no fewer than 16 Democratic caucuses held meetings, among them the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Caucus; the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus; the Senior Council; the Rural Caucus; and the Ethnic Coordinated Caucus.