A lower-key keynote from Mark Warner

DENVER — A Senate candidate and future Democratic presidential nominee keynoted the 2004 Democratic National Convention. And while former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner’s (D) keynote Tuesday could well be a sequel, it was no remake.

Delivering his much-hyped address at Pepsi Center, the Senate hopeful who shocked many in Washington by not running for president himself delivered a far less electric speech, playing it safe and losing many members of the crowd, who talked throughout his address.

{mosads}The audience offered mostly mild affirmations of Warner’s applause lines, but the arena and even the floor in front of the stage was consumed with ambient chatter as the former governor spoke. Warner received five standing ovations, two of which came when he entered and left the stage.

Warner seemed to know his speech couldn’t measure up to the excitement generated by Barack Obama four years ago.

“As governor of Virginia, it was humbling to occupy a position that was once held by Thomas Jefferson,” Warner said. “Almost as daunting as delivering the keynote speech four years after Barack Obama — or speaking before Hillary Clinton.”

The text of Warner’s speech was heavy on his biography and an emphasis on the future, much the same as Obama’s 2004 keynote.

The wealthy former businessman drew parallels to Obama in that both came from humble beginnings and took chances on divergent careers.

For Obama, it was community organizing. For Warner, it was businesses that failed until he struck gold in an emerging cellular telephone industry.

“At our best, it’s not your lineage or last name that matters, it’s not where you come from that counts — it’s where you want to go,” Warner said. “In America, everyone should get a fair shot.”

Warner used that theme to segue into an attack on the policies of the Bush administration and the “status quo” that Republican candidate John McCain represents.

Warner acknowledged that not every problem facing the country has been avoidable, but he said they were made worse by policies of the Bush administration that would be perpetuated by McCain.

Warner struck a particularly stark chord in going after Bush’s response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“After Sept. 11, if there was a call from the president to get us off foreign oil, to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, ‘How can I do my part?’ ” Warner said. “This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation when all of us work together. John McCain promises more of the same.”

Minding his image as a centrist, Warner went on to emphasize outlook instead of party and ideology.

He described Obama and the Democrats as the future, and Bush, McCain and the Republicans as the past.

Playing off the recently completed Olympics, Warner also offered an ominous appraisal of the challenge of the future posed by the increasing competitiveness of China.

The host country of the 2008 Beijing games took home more gold medals than any other country and wowed the world with an elaborate and spectacular opening ceremony.

“The race is on, and if you watched the Olympics, you know China’s going for the gold,” Warner said. “You know, America has never been afraid of the future, and we shouldn’t start now.”

Warner surprised many two years ago when he declared he wouldn’t run for president in 2008, and effectively withdrew his name from vice presidential speculation one year later when he took on the race for retiring Sen. John Warner’s (R-Va.) seat.

He didn’t allude to the Senate race or his presidential hopes during the address.

The Democrat is a heavy favorite against fellow former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R), despite the historically conservative politics of the Old Dominion State. His 20-plus-point lead in the polls is a testament to Warner’s crossover appeal and the popularity he has maintained since leaving office in 2006.

Many, especially in Washington, saw Warner as a near-ideal vice presidential candidate and potentially even a tough match against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for the Democratic nomination.

He is just 53 years old, though, meaning his best years politically could be in the future.