Warner's Rising Star: Following the 'Clinton Route' to the White House

[Thom Little]

By David S. Broder
Washington Post
Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005


As awards go, this one was nice enough. The honor that Virginia Gov. Mark Warner received the other night from the Council of Chief State School Officers saluted his work not just in his home state but also in the broader movement to overhaul and improve high schools in this country.

It was an honor previously bestowed on Bill Clinton, among others, and was one more step in Warner's path along what might be called "the Clinton route" toward the White House: the successful stewardship of a conservative-leaning Southern state, a leadership role in the Education Commission of the States and the National Governors Association, and a growing following among fellow Democrats.

But the applause that greeted Warner at the ceremony here was hardly the highlight of his week. Earlier in the day, in his first foray to New Hampshire as an unannounced 2008 presidential hopeful, he had found a turn-away luncheon crowd of 200 state legislators and political activists at a Manchester restaurant and had been a hit. "An extremely favorable reaction," state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro told me. "I don't know him very well, but he's a very impressive guy."

.......

"Timing is everything in politics," D'Allesandro remarked, "and Bush gave him the best publicity in the world when he came into Virginia the night before the election for Jerry Kilgore. What Warner said then was a killer: 'If they want to compare what's happening in Washington with what we've done in Virginia, that's a comparison I'll take any time.' " When I interviewed Warner after the award ceremony here, his comment on his good fortune was, "When it rains, it pours." And then he quickly added that four years earlier, when he was preparing to take office, the same thing seemed to apply -- in reverse.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/23/AR2005112301670.html

[AlecBGreen]

1. He was a great Guvnuh'

and he'll make an even better President. He took a massive deficiet (thank you GilmoRe) and turned it into a surplus. He shrank govt, increased effciency, invested in education and transportation, created jobs in our poorest, rural counties (good jobs at that) and brought together Dems and Repubs in the process. Believe the hype - he is the one we want in 2008.

My $0.02
-Alec

[skipos]

2. Clark and Warner share

a lot of qualities I really like, they are both level headed, down to earth, and clear about where they stand. Their experiences also complement eachother well too. I think they will be working together more often as time goes on.

[AlecBGreen]

3. you got that right!

Warner/Clark would be a great ticket. Id like to see what the GOoPers have to put up against that!

-Alec