Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I have this creepy feeling that the upcoming National Conventions, both Democratic and Republican, are completely unnecessary even though the first is less than three weeks away.

In earlier years, these conventions brought various factions together to weave a fabric of unity for the given party. Most often, the week’s work culminated in the nomination of the presidential candidate and the approval of his running mate. And, until the convention, voters waited expectantly to learn who would be the official candidate for each party.

But this year all is changed. We already know that John Kerry will be the Democratic nominee and that he has announced John Edwards as his running mate. We also know George W. Bush will be the repeat Republican nominee and that his running mate may or may not be Dick Cheney. But even if it isn’t, we will know his preference long before the Republican National Convention scheduled for New York City the end of this summer.

Think of the dollars spent on convention activities, the balloons that fall from the ceiling at the appropriate moment, the security measures. New York City, in particular, must be struggling with the latter issue, since the President of the United States will be in attendance; and that fact alone could generate greater terrorist interest and more Tom Ridge alerts.

The risks are great, and the benefits seem to be few. I, for one, suggest, the delegates to these various conventions settle for a massive conference call on their cell phones to approve the party platform and then call it a day. In fact, I’m sending this suggestion to various convention email addresses. As one cell phone provider’s advertisement asks, “Can you hear me now? “