Kaine
Right now I’m watching the Democratic response to Bush’s State of the Union address. This year, the response is being delivered by Tim Kaine, the newly-elected Governor of Virginia, from Virginia’s executive mansion. In addition to the obvious message sent by having a newly-elected Democrat from a state with two Republican Senators that voted twice for President Bush, I think it’s smart to have an executive give the response.
Right now, Americans hate the Senate, and while that certainly applies to Republican leadership, it applies to Democrats in the Senate as well. Senators, and Washington-based Democrats like Dean or Pelosi are perhaps permanently tainted by partisanship. And with their party in the minority in both houses, any speaker from the Senate would seem like a loser, talking about what they want to do with out any real power to enact Democratic plans. As a Governor, though, Kaine is in charge of something, and speaks as a leader with power. Kaine can speak about accomplishments in Virginia and take credit for them in a way that President Bush can take credit for his accomplishments, but Democratic Senators could not. He can also speak in a way that transcends partisanship (in rhetoric if not in substance).
Also, the mansion was a great setting for the speech, and it was a great idea to have Kaine deliver it while standing.