As Far As You Know

Not often that a relatively obscure state official gets to deliver the keynote address at a major political party's national convention. It's even more unlikely that such a figure would upstage the golden-tongued 42nd President of the United States. As good as Bill Clinton was the night before, Barack Obama was even better. There was a lot of hype before his speech but the Illinois candidate for the U.S. Senate lived up to it and then some.

In 1988, a little-known young governor from Arkansas regarded as "the future of the Democratic Party" also delivered a much-hyped keynote address, but Bill Clinton fell flat on that occasion, with a rambling and uninspired delivery that was far too long. This missed opportunity was one more obstacle for "the Comeback Kid" to overcome in the course of his successful 1992 presidential bid.

Clearly Obama has a future in American politics. The pundits were nearly as enthusiastic in the wake of his speech as the delighted throngs of delegates were during it. The excitement in the Fleet Center was almost palpable, even on television.