Bill’s night to shine
Bill Clinton has always been a convention magic boy. When he walks out, his chin and lower lip clinch up and down, and he seems to make direct eye contact with everyone in the audience — at home and in person.
The chin movement is something I’ve watched closely for years. It’s a little tick, perhaps, a sort of trademark move signaling that the wheels of politics are turning mightily in his head.
Bill always steals the show.
His role tonight isn’t what he thought it would be, though. Bill no doubt felt that he’d be standing next to his wife introducing the Democratic nominee for president.
That didn’t happen, and nerves are still raw, especially considering the harsh banter Bill and Obama traded during the campaign.
At one point, Barack’s campaign suggested that some of Bill’s remarks may have had racist undertones. They were referring, of course, to Bill’s statement likening Obama’s impressive victory in the South Carolina primary to Jesse Jackson’s win in the state in the 1984 and 1988 primary season.
It was all blown out of proportion. Still, many surrounding Bill believe that he truly has a grudge against Obama because of this incident.
Tonight, Bill Clinton, like Hillary last night, will have a chance to do the classy thing and endorse Barack Obama with sincere words of praise.
I thought Hillary, orange power suit and all, presented herself better than I’ve ever seen her before.
In fact, I kept thinking throughout the speech that if she’d done this all along, then maybe she’d be the nominee instead of Obama.
She was genuine, spoke from the gut and held her head high with class and dignity.
Bill should rubber stamp that tonight during his speech. I have no doubt that he will send the rafters of the Pepsi Center in Denver into the stratosphere. Wherever he goes, whomever he meets, Bill is a charismatic political crooner.
And as soon as that bottom lip and chin begin to move together, look out.
I’m looking forward to it.