Probably a lost cause, but if anyone can do it, he can. 

I only have two real observations about his speech.  The first is that Clinton actually managed to not spend the entire thing talking about himself.  That’s quite an accomplishment.  Second, although he excoriated the record of the Bush Administration (notably, he never actually mentions Bush by name), he only had this to say about McCain:

The choice is clear. The Republicans in a few days will nominate a good man who has served our country heroically and who suffered terribly in a Vietnamese prison camp. He loves his country every bit as much as we do. As a senator, he has shown his independence of right-wing orthodoxy on some very important issues.

But on the two great questions of this election—how to rebuild the American dream and how to restore America’s leadership in the world—he still embraces the extreme philosophy that has defined his party for more than 25 years.

This is off-message, loyal VO readers!  The theme is supposed to be that McCain is with Bush “95% of the time”, as Biden tells us.  McCain’s Presidency would be “Bush’s Fourth Term”, right?  That’s all he had to say about McCain, but note that he mentions one of his strongest attributes (war hero) and notes McCain’s record of independence.  Naturally, he doesn’t mention any of Obama’s accomplishments because, well, there aren’t any and even the Slick One isn’t capable of convincing anyone otherwise.  Nevertheless, there is something about that excerpt that makes me wonder if he wasn’t trying to portray McCain as somewhat acceptable?  You can tell me if I’m reading too much into it, but I regard the Clinton’s as Machiavellians of the highest order—and I don’t write that with disrespect—and learned a long time ago to pay attention to what they say and don’t say.  McCain victory: bad for the Democrats, good for the Clintons.  Remember that.

On the other hand, I think it was an excellent speech.  Clinton came across as truly Presidential.  He kept the attacks to a minimum, used facts (questionable in many cases) to make his points, and sincerely expressed his support for Obama.  Frankly, I always found his speeches to be enjoyable, even though I couldn’t believe a word he was saying.  His tone is certainly better than that black preacher act Obama has going on or McCain’s “My Friends” syle.  Best of all, his speech was much shorter than his wife’s.

You can read the full text at the link below.

CNN