Send John Kerry

Wow. Bill Clinton still has it. The man knows how to give a speech. However, despite briefly donning a private-citizen persona last night, when he outlined the achievements of the Democratic party–i.e., under his leadership–I kept thinking (and perhaps you were too), “Bill Clinton for President! Send him! Oh, wait, I mean, John Kerry! Yeah, that’s it!” A couple of the money lines:

“[Republicans] need a divided America. But we don’t.” “We tried it their way for 12 years. We tried it our way for eight years. Then we tried it their way for four more. By the only test that matters, whether people were better off when we finished than when we started, our way works better.”

Countering opponents’ claims that Kerry and Edwards won’t stand up to the terrorists: “Strength and wisdom are not opposing values.”

Highlighting Kerry’s continued public service at every turn (and providing the sound bite of the evening): “John Kerry said, ‘Send me.'”

Links: transcript and video (Real format, approx. 25 min.).

Asides on the spectacle: first, I must say that the huge 90-foot-wide screen they have above the stage is pretty cool. Second, some of that cheesy walking-on music, not so cool. Lastly, I know I’ve heard the announcer’s voice before. Doesn’t she have a lock on the awards-show circuit? Every time she announced a new speaker, I kept expecting her to continue with something like, “This is Glenn Close’s sixth Oscar nomination. Her first win was for…”