Warner will deliver keynote for Democrats

Barack Obama's campaign announced this morning that former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

Warner, who is running for US Senate this year, is a moderate businessman with a reputation for bipartisanship -- a quality that Obama is trying to highlight in his own resume.

"As Governor of Virginia, Warner used his experience in business to help deliver jobs and hope to the citizens of Virginia," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in a statement. "His work creating jobs in Southwest and Southside Virginia is a model for the rest of the country. Like Barack Obama, Mark Warner is not afraid to challenge the status quo to bring people together and get things moving. It’s that kind of spirit and innovation that resulted in his selection as keynote speaker on a night when we will be discussing how to renew America’s promise.”

Obama was running for the US Senate, himself, when he gave the keynote address at the 2004 convention in Boston -- the moment that put him on the national political stage.

The Washington Post's political blog is reporting that Warner's selection could mean bad news for current Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, who is believed to be on Obama's short list for running mate.

The thinking is that it is unlikely that Virginians would give the major speech on back-to-back nights at the convention, since the vice presidential nominee is scheduled to give his or her acceptance speech on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

There had been earlier reports that Obama's former rival, Hillary Clinton, would give the keynote speech on Tuesday, Aug. 26, the second night of the convention. Several Massachusetts Democrats said they were led to believe that by Obama's Northeast regional director. Clinton is still scheduled to speak that night, but not as the keynote.