Opening: Initial reaction? This guy seems a lot more presidential than Hillary or Obama. He actually has executive experience. Crazy. Makes me wonder again why this wasn't his year.
Sounds like he's going to be the warm-up to Hillary Clinton's attack on the GOP. Here's his attack appetizer: "Two wars, a warming planet, an energy policy that says let's borrow money from China to buy oil from countries that don't like us. How many people look at these things and wonder what the future holds for them? Their children? Their country? How many?In George Bush and John McCain's America, far too many." Goes on to bash President Bush for not asking country to do more after 9/11 and says McCain is "more of the same." Pretty light stuff, IMO.
I don't like his policies, but I like the spirit he has when hitting jobs, education and economy. It's forceful, but not in your face liberal tripe.
9:52: He just delivered, what I predict, will be his best line of the night: "I know we're at the Democratic Convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn't matter if it has an "R" or "D" next to it. Because this election isn't about liberal versus conservative. It's not about left versus right. It's about the future versus the past."
9:55: Warner is touting his executive experience, a subject Obama and Biden will likely be avoiding in the coming nights.
"When I became Governor, this is what Virginia faced: a massive budget shortfall; an economy that wasn't moving; gridlock in the capital. Sound familiar?So what did we do? Working together -- a Democratic governor with a two-to-one Republican legislature and a whole lot of good folks who didn't see themselves as either Democrats or Republicans, but as Virginians - we closed the budget gap, and Virginia was named the best managed state in the nation"
9:58: Again talks about being governor of Virginia. Maybe he does wish he hadn't dropped out earlier. "As Governor of Virginia, it was humbling to occupy a position that was once held by Thomas Jefferson. Almost as daunting as delivering the keynote speech four years after Barack Obama... Or speaking before Hillary Clinton."
Closing: He's a palatable Democrat. The Dems really should have put him up for prez.
Pundit roundup: Chris Matthews likes the fact Warner criticized Bush for not asking the country to do more. (And, btw, what is up with Matthews hair color? It looks off, maybe it's because he's not in his regular studio lighting?). Howard Wolfson calls Warner's speech a "tremendous missed opportunity" because he didn't attack McCain enough.