A manger wouldn’t have played well with the red-staters they’re trying to woo.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple.

The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos’ National Football League team plays.

Some 80,000 supporters will see Obama appear from between plywood columns painted off-white, reminiscent of Washington’s Capitol building or even the White House, to accept the party’s nomination for president…

Once Obama speaks, confetti will rain down on him and fireworks will be fired off from locations around the stadium wall.

Too staid for my tastes. What about a giant plaster Lincoln head descending from the sky with Obama inside, and once it hits the stage he breaks through out of the top hat like the Hulk? Or how about the lights come up to reveal statues of Jesus, MLK, Gandhi, and The One — except his isn’t a statue, it’s really him and he was just standing perfectly still. Then he comes “magically” to life as the camera hits him. Awesome.