Impressions from the gala

First, the real news of the night, from my perspective, was Mark Warner stating his desire to run for office again.

My hope and prayers are that I'll have more campaigns and more public service in my future.

Other news included how much Mark Warner and Tim Kaine wished that Don Beyer would run for office again in Virginia - clearly showing they'd support a run by him. I had to wonder what this meant for potential Beyer primary opponents. Beyer was the M.C. of sorts, and his high profile speaking role did seem like a jumping off point for something bigger.

Also, Jim Webb promised to support the 2007 statewide effort. The fact that Webb was even there - with his wife so close to going into labor - spoke for itself.
Now, some impressions.  First off, credit should go to Katherine Hanley (Secretary of the Commonwealth) in getting people to sit down so that the speeches could start. Also, she gave a nice, light  warm-up speech about her transition to Richmond driving  that shifted to a more sobering report on how gridlock is becoming a problem everywhere in the state.

Beyer did a good job. His intro line brought the house down - "Welcome to America!" It's easy to fade into obscurity as the M.C. on a stage full of stars, but he was definitely an integral part of the event.

Jim Webb's speech was quick - he obviously had to leave quickly to be with Hong Le. Because of that, Webb didn't really get into a groove or say too much beyond giving thanks and pledging support for the '07 cause. However, in his short time, he gave a solid speech.

Mark Warner stole the show - he shined on stage. Free from campaign pressure and the need to do too much in introducing Paul Begala, Warner was both inspirational and humorous. Many in the room (including Beyer and Begala) lamented his decision not to run in '08, but a lot of Vice President talk in the crowd.

Paul Begala gave a good speech, and he does an impression of Bill Clinton that is a dead ringer. I don't recall him having a southern drawl on CNN - I guess he just breaks out his Texas drawl for us Southerners. Some funny stories, and a great theme regarding Virginia Democratic values ... really set the table as a great segue to Kaine's speech.

And speaking of the governor, Tim Kaine gave a damn good speech. It's hard being last, when the crowd has filled its bellies and already listened to so many speeches. Nevertheless, he gave a good speech that highlighted values and stressed the need for more Democrats in the legislature to help him get results for the Commonwealth. He pushed all his chips into the pot, saying that he was treating 2007 as if his own name was on the ballot. And it's clear that transportation is the issue on his mind. Kaine's speech was well-received, and the word "inspirational" was heard throughout the room afterwards.

Overall, the speakers were great and the atmosphere was light. Clearly, the Democrats were in a celebratory mood. They were also pretty fired up to keep this momentum rolling into next year.

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