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I wanted to wait until I had a little time to reflect on the opening night speeches, just to see how it affected my perception of things.

On Thursday evening, the Netroots Nation crowd was treated to speeches by General Wes Clark and Howard Dean. The emcee for the event was the immensely entertaining Baratunde Thurston. However, the highlight of the evening was the show-stealing speech by DFT Political Director and former Texas state legislator Glen Maxey introducing Governor Dean.

Wes Clark consistently impresses me - more than almost anyone in the media or politics, he has a real understanding of what is is that we do. By that I mean everything from the online Netroots & blogging communities to everyday activism and DIY politics. Maybe it's because his first major foray into politics was preceded by the online DraftClark petition, but regardless, he seems to understand and appreciate the role of what we do. His comments struck an excellent tone with the crowd, and definitely seemed to be tailored to our role in politics.

Howard Dean's speech was essentially a longer version of what he gave at the rally earlier in the day. While there was nothing bad about his comments, they just didn't seem to really fit the audience or occasion. The one line that stood out, though, was when he took things a step further than his earlier remarks. While exhorting the crowd to avoid making the mistake of his generation - that assuming electoral victories would be good enough - he again said that democracy needs to be constantly nurtured. But he went one step further, arguing that democracy is more than just still an experiment: it's an unnatural system. The tone of that section of his speech was just not quite forceful enough, though, to really reflect this very interesting line of thought. I found that idea very interesting, and very much in character with a discussion I had been having earlier about the attitude of the founders toward democracy.

The hands-down highlight of the evening, though, was Glen Maxey's introduction of Howard Dean. Maxey tapped into the notion that the Dean campaign was a transformational moment in American politics. His simple refrain: "We were empowered by Howard and the internet." In excellent Texas storytelling style, he wove a narrative about Texas politics, national politics, and the Dean campaign's lasting impact.

I had come to the unfortunate conclusion that I would not be able to attend Netroots Nation this year; it was a hard decision to make, since I'm still kicking myself for missing YearlyKos in Chicago. But then I got an email that Democracy for America was extending their scholarship program - they're providing registration and housing for 20 people. As an active member of DFA, I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass by.

I'd like to ask for your support. If you're a registered user on DFA (it only takes a minute to register, by the way), please stop by my scholarship profile page and click the support button.