And the Keynote Is.....

So now we know former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will be the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, now less than two weeks away. It's canny political calculation for the campaign of Barack Obama. He wants very badly to win Warner's home state, and recent polling says he can actually do it. Warner, running for the Senate, has proven appeal in areas where Obama is weak. That would be rural, working class, socially conservative areas of the state.

Warner will be paired with Senator Hillary Clinton on the second night of the convention. Again, it seems a smart political move. It's the established star with the rising one. Warner has a post partisan message that's similar to Obama's. The central question is, will voters buy into it?

Already, questions are being asked about whether Obama will suffer from what some call the Bradley syndrome. That is, white voters who tell pollsters they'll vote for a black candidate, and do something different when they're behind the curtain. Certainly giving prime time exposure to people like Mark Warner can potentially move some fence straddling voters into Obama's camp.

But will that be enough? The Obama campaign isn't betting the store on it. Reports from Florida say Obama folks are trying to hit every black beauty salon and barber shop in the state. The purpose? Register every voter they can as soon as possible. So what appears to be going on, quietly, is a two pronged approach.

It could work.