A transcript of last night’s HARDBALL on MSNBC immediately following the Miller and Cheney speeches at the Republican convention. Highlights: Ohio governor Bob Taft manages not to say anything more substantive than parroting the “security” line, Zell Miller challenges Chris Matthews to a duel (no kidding — former Oklahoma Congressman JC Watts wants to sell the popcorn and Cokes at the door, he says), and a pollster in Cincinnati quizzes reportedly undecided voters about their reactions to the evening’s speeches.

Full personal disclosure: IMHO, Cheney’s speech was a reasoned critique and comparison of the Bush and Kerry positions and approaches, without really touching on the specifics of the Bush record (but I frankly wouldn’t expect that anyway — it was a pretty good speech.) Zell Miller came off like the wildly gesticulating anti-Bush crazy man everyone expected the Democrats to present during their convention (but, you’ll recall, never really did, Al Sharpton aside) — only this was some weird tirade about Kerry’s voting record, which Miller had effusively praised three years ago.