Items to watch at Monday's convention sessions

By Bill Schneider and Keating Holland/CNN

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Here are some of the items to watch during Monday's Republican National Convention session:

Roll call: For the first time in living memory, the roll call will start on the first day of the convention. Up to 18 states and territories will vote tonight, including John McCain's home state of Arizona. Is the GOP so unified that Bush will win every single vote, or will a few McCain and Keyes delegates stand by their man and deny Bush a coveted unanimous victory?

Platform and rules fights: Monday afternoon is reserved for the party's housekeeping chores, including ratifying the work of the platform committee and setting the rules for how the GOP will choose its nominee four years from now. GOP leaders think they have cajoled or steamrolled dissidents into accepting their decisions in the interests of party unity. Will it work, or will the delegates scrap over abortion or primary rules? Will conservative activists, in particular, succeed in their move to exclude superdelegates from future conventions?

Laura Bush: Tonight is the night Laura Bush will step out in her own right, making her first speech in front of a national audience. Will she be a natural, like her mother-in-law? Will the inevitable comarisons to Hillary Clinton work in her favor, particularly among female voters?

Ratings:The party is trying to draw viewers right from the start by putting Colin Powell, the most popular political figure in America, in a prime-time slot. Will Powell be a box-office draw, or will Americans tune out once Monday Night Football is over? If they do, it probably means a small audience for the rest of the convention, limiting Bush's convention bounce and possibly even calling into question the existence of conventions in years to come.