Video: Why Tim Kaine was chosen to give the Democratic Response

On the syndicated weekend program "The Chris Matthews Show", the panel of journalists explained that by newly-elected Virginia Governor Tim Kaine being chosen to give the Democratic Response to Bush's State of the Union address, the party is sending the message that they are looking for some new faces.  More importantly, think about the fact that Tim Kaine was Mark Warner's successor.  Warner is a presidential candidate for 2008.  So by Kaine being the one to give the address, and not Hillary, many of the Democrats might be sending a signal that Warner would be welcomed in the 2008 presidential field:

Click to watch clip >>> (Windows Media Player)

I must admit, although I have been very critical of the Democrats over the last two weeks, they made the right move by choosing Kaine to give the address.  He is not a polarizing figure like Bush.  Centrist voters need to see the distinction between the two.  Also, the Democrats picked a great mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, to give the Spanish language version of the Democratic response.  Party insiders have told me that Villaraigosa will focus some of his speech on the lack of support that urban areas all over the country have been getting from the federal government.  Educational programs are being slashed left and right, leaving more than a large share of children behind.  Villaraigosa is expected to drill Bush on that issue.