Gov. Tim Kaine glows in limelight of convention

DENVER

He's everywhere! He's everywhere!

Here's Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" swapping one-liners with the comedian host.

There he is introducing the Dave Matthews Band to thousands of concertgoers - most of them good Democrats.

He's over there talking to CBS, or the BBC, or Newsweek magazine.

Tuesday night, he's hosting a packed party at a downtown cafe. He's on the stage welcoming the crowd and notices his face on a TV set across the room broadcasting a taped interview on CNN.

"Who is that guy?" he shouts to the throng. "Who is that guy?"

Why, it's Tim Kaine, confidant of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and rising presence on the national scene.

On Thursday, Kaine delivered a nationally broadcast speech in front of 80,000 people crammed into Invesco Field to see Obama become the first African American to accept a major party's presidential nomination.

During a six-minute speech, Kaine urged Americans to share Obama's faith that government can be fundamentally changed if people demand it. "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed," Kaine said, quoting the Gospel of Matthew, "you will say to the mountain, 'Move, mountain,' and it will move."

The governor used more earthly tones in addressing John McCain, saying the putative Republican nominee has little concern about the declining purchasing power of the middle class. He derided McCain, whose wife is heiress to an estimated $100 million, for recently being unable to say how many houses they own.

"Maybe for John McCain the American dream means seven houses - and if that's your America, John McCain is your candidate," he said. "But for the rest of us, the American dream means one home, in a safe neighborhood with good schools and good health care."

He added, "John McCain will keep answering to the special interests and Washington lobbyists. We're ready for leadership that answers to us. And the leader who will deliver the change we need - Barack Obama."

The speech capped a dizzying three-week run that catapulted Kaine from a little-known governor to a rumored finalist for Obama's vice presidential selection, to a widely demanded speaker in the Democratic Party.

"It's been surreal," the governor said in an interview.

Late last week, national TV cameras were airing live shots of the front door to the Executive Mansion in Richmond, hoping to catch any sign of activity that might indicate Kaine had been offered the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket.

If Kaine was at all glum after learning the billet had been awarded to Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, he's made a quick recovery.

He's been all smiles and easy going demeanor this week, speaking with uncharacteristic pitch about Obama's candidacy.

In Virginia, Kaine portrays himself as a good-government guy willing to work with both parties. But in Denver this week, he's been an unabashed partisan tossing the red meat to the Democratic faithful.

During a Wednesday morning pep talk to Virginia's delegation, he accused McCain of running a "slick trick and slick campaign from Washington that makes me sick."

Kaine has taken a couple of breaks from the hullabaloo to go biking and hiking in the Colorado mountains. His wife, three children and parents are with him, as well as his two best buddies from Harvard Law School.

Kaine's likeness is portrayed on a humorous political pin being circulated this week: It's a smiley face with an inverted V over one of the eyes, depicting the governor's ever-twitching eyebrow.

His mother, Kathy Kaine, can't get enough of the pins to take back to her friends in Overland Park, Kan. "I just love them," she said.

Nothing lasts forever, however, and the governor will return to Richmond this weekend to deal with an estimated $1 billion shortfall in the state budget and a bunch of Republican legislators who recently thwarted his efforts to raise taxes for transportation.

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is a leading critic of Kaine and skeptical about his rising reputation in Democratic circles.

"The governor's hanging out with a cool crowd right now," he said. "Obama's cool and that makes Kaine cool."

Kaine and Obama have much in common. They both went to Harvard Law School, albeit at different times. They both have relatives born in the small town of El Dorado, Kan. Obama campaigned for Kaine in 2005. A little more than a year later, Kaine repaid the favor by becoming one of the first governors to endorse Obama's presidential bid.

Although Kaine's term doesn't expire until January 2010, he appeared ready to leave the governorship early to become Obama's vice president, tossing the post to Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican.

Kaine now suggests - but does not promise - he'll see his term through to the end, even if Obama is elected and offers him a Cabinet post.

"I still really love my job," he said.

Warren Fiske, (804) 697-1565, warren.fiske@pilotonline.com