I somehow missed the New York Times report that former vice president Al Gore will address the convention on its last night, and not in Pepsi Center (20,000 odd seats), where the hum drum of Democratic business will take place, but at Invesco Field (75,000 seats) where on the last night of the gathering Barack Obama will be anointed.
My guess is that Bill Clinton is not happy about the arrangements. He has been relegated to being an opening act for the vice presidential nominee Joe Biden about whom he must have mixed feelings. After all, Biden was the one Democrat who finally got the U.S. to intervene in Bosnia, the single most honorable moment in U.S. foreign policy during Clinton's term. (You know that Sandy Berger didn't do it.) But, of course, Clinton will be relegated to singing the praises of someone he didn't want as the designee. Imagine if he had been up there extolling Hillary?
I'd also hazard that he's particularly envious of Gore whose place and time at the convention show how Obama trusts Al and doesn't trust Bill at all. As the years go by, Bill will be increasingly jealous of Gore on two counts. After Clinton's rhetorical ugliness during the primaries, he will no longer be numero uno among the Democratic faithful. That is finished, kaput. Polls indicate that, what's more, Gore has a real and deep non-partisan following among the public. Moreover, since Bill is not (and has not been for years) gainfully employed he will be scrounging around for cash everywhere. But that wouldn't be exactly new, would it?