Waiting for Bill

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Waiting... waiting... waiting...

I expect Bill Clinton to give a rousing speech tonight, one that expresses genuine support for Obama. At the very least, he will say the right things, much like Hillary did last night, and he may just make the strong case for Obama that Hillary didn't, at least not in any personal way. What we need to hear from Bill is that Obama is ready for the job. I know he is, as do many others, but there lingering doubts played up in the media, and McCain will go after Obama's lack of experience throughout the campaign, as he has already. Of course, Obama needs to continue to make the case for himself, and more strongly than he has thus far, but Bill's full endorsement would go a long way towards changing the narrative in Obama's favour.

With Obama nominated by acclamation, and with Hillary putting him over the top, it is time for Bill to do the right thing, whatever the lingering tensions and doubts.

Meanwhile, I feel a bit like Vladimir and Estragon.

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9:02 pm - And here he is... along with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop." It's 1992 all over again!

I'm not going to live-blog his speech. I'll be back later with some reflections.

9:10 pm - Okay, a quick comment or two. There, truly in no uncertain terms, Bill has expressed his support for Obama and encouraged all of those who voted for Hillary to vote for Obama in November.

And now he's making the strong personal case for Obama, the one Hillary didn't (or couldn't) make last night, the case the Obama is "ready to lead America and restore America's leadership in the world."

9:13 pm - "Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States." Huge. And exactly what needed to be said, and said by the person most qualified to say it.

And he's effectively connecting Obama to specific domestic and foreign policies. President Obama will...

My respect and admiration for Bill Clinton are skyrocketing tonight.

9:19 pm - "Yes, he can, but first we have to elect him." Great, great line. And seemingly a spontaneous one.

Okay, I'll be back later.