Four years ago, I was in the audience in Boston as Bill Clinton delivered his speech at that Democratic convention. I was in awe. I compared him to a rock star; a demigod; an all-star athlete who you just can't take your eyes off of.  This time around, however, after all his shenanigans and "aw, shucks" moments during the primary campaign, after all his drama about Obama, I was ready to be under-whelmed by a man who has only drawn negative attention in the past year. The party faithful cheered around me for three and a half minutes and waived their American flags when Bill walked out. I sat firmly in my seat and felt jaded.

Then he began to speak.

For only twenty minutes he spoke and simultaneously delivered the most effective attack on the Republicans and the most persuasive endorsement of Barack Obama thus far in the convention -- heck, the campaign. In short, Bill Clinton gave the speech that Hillary Clinton should have given.  It was probably the speech that she secretly hoped she had given. After Hillary's appearance Tuesday night, she had all the networks and columnists claiming she had hit a home run.

Well, if Hillary hit a home run, Bill hit for the cycle.

He did everything he was supposed to do for the team, and then some. Before delivering a perfect speech, he sighed and chuckled, "I love this." Like no other politician, the man is able to use statistics that convince rather than bore, and right now, the numbers are on the Democrats' side. He spoke effortlessly and drew parallels between the Republican attack of "inexperience" against himself in 1992 and against Obama now, and made it unequivocally clear that Obama is ready -- an assertion that Hillary never made in her speech.

The frustrating part is that these twenty minutes of genius from Bill Clinton make him all the more infuriating as a public figure -- and exasperating as a party leader. He's like a little kid who knows what not to do, but still tries to test the limits. "That's why I'm so pissed at him," claimed one Massachusetts delegate on the convention floor. "He did all the right things, but his own behavior so often overshadows," she vented.  It's certainly true that in recent years, and especially this past primary year, there hasn't been much good news about Bill Clinton. His business practices and associates have been questioned, and during the primary, the carelessness of his remarks actually made it seem like he was out to sabotage his own wife.  At times, his involvement in Hillary's campaign appeared more selfish than supportive.

It was bittersweet then that Bill walked last night out to his 1992 campaign song "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" by Fleetwood Mac.  The song was a reminder to Democrats how Bill Clinton pulled off his improbable victory back then. But let's not forget that the refrain of that is: "Yesterday's gone, Yesterday's gone." --CHLOE KAMARCK

Related: A slideshow of Democratic convention goers who wear their party affiliation on more than just their sleeve

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