Mark Warner for President '08

So, for those of you that don't know, I was a huge fan of Mark Warner for President '08. But then he broke my heart with this announcement. It is some consolation that at the very least he is going to be the next Senator to represent Virginia.

Imagine my excitement when I found out that he would be giving the keynote address at this years Democratic National Convention!!!

... I should probably interrupt myself and mention that the DNC is my Olympics. Allow me to explain - my coworker, Kevin, watched every night of the Olympics. He stayed up late to watch the Olympics and he watched a live feed of the events during the day. He was completely distracted by the Olympics. When he wasn't watching the Olympics, he was reading news about the Olympics. The DNC is my Olympics ...

I signed up for Mark Warner's "Convention Diary" (I'm a nerd, I know, I know), but it meant that I got to see an advance copy of his speech. This speech (aside from being awesome) was so Virginian! I'm not sure if it plays as well in the other 49 states, but talking about Thomas Jefferson really works in Virginia. I thought Mark Warner's speech was intelligent, funny, critical of the current administration while still full of his usual anti-partisan rhetoric, hopeful for the future, and accurate!

I have not been very excited about this Presidential election. I've know who I would vote for from the beginning, but I haven't found either candidate particularly compelling. I have been extremely annoyed with the media this year - I think they have not only done a HORRIBLE job of covering the campaigns, but I think they've manipulated the tone of this campaign into something very disheartening.

But Mark Warner's speech was so uplifting! I am fired up for this election in a way that I wasn't before. So, in lieu of Mark Warner for President '08, I'm thinking ... Mark Warner for President '16?


My favorite part of the speech:
"People always ask me, "What's your biggest criticism of President Bush?" I'm sure you all have your own. Here's mine: It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resources - the character and resolve of the American people. He never asked us to step up.

Think about it: After September 11, if there was a call from the President to get us off foreign oil, to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, "How can I do my part?" This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation, when all of us work together."