国际英语新闻:Republican Convention Gets Down to Business Tuesday

But Forbes acknowledges that weather concerns may draw attention away from the convention.

“I think the weather is a distraction," said forbes. "I think the weather will take away from the convention.  But like other hurdles we will overcome it and we’ll not only survive it but will turn it into something that is positive.”

A few hundred protesters, including some from the Occupy Movement, were  on the streets in Tampa Monday.  But that was well down from the thousands some had predicted and security forces kept them far away from the convention site.

Jason Woody was among them.

“It's definitely important to be out here, to get our voices heard, you know to let the Republicans know that we the people really aren't having it and we're tired," he said.

Mitt Romney will be officially nominated Tuesday after a roll call of the state delegations.  Romney accumulated the necessary delegates during the numerous state primary and caucus elections earlier this year.

On Wednesday, the spotlight will be on Romney’s running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, who will give a speech to the convention.

Romney will follow with an acceptance speech of his own on Thursday, a chance to reintroduce himself to the American public when an estimated 30 to 40 million people will be watching the convention proceedings on television or on-line.

The latest national polls show the race between Romney and the president is a virtual dead-heat.