Bill Clinton at the Convention: First Reactions

1)Perfect. Exactly what the Democrats needed. And just like that, party unity is achieved.

2)A textbook example of the power of defying expectations. All week long, we've been hearing about how Bill was even more embittered than Hillary over the primaries. And then he takes the podium and his very first words are "I'm here to support Barack Obama." Shrewd and classy.

3)He was almost too good. He showed up his wife, and not just on rhetorical style. Her small, stingy speech seems even smaller and stingier now by comparison. She tried to make a point by drawing a line and refusing to extend so much as a toe over it, but all she accomplished was looking like a sore loser. Bill showed how true graciousness can turn a defeat into a victory. He killed with kindness. You want to take Hillary and say, "See? That is how it's done."

(With apologies to Matt Cooper.)