Thus, President Clinton was followed on stage by Professor Harold Hill -- a snake-oil salesman, a con artist who charms an Iowa town into falling for his charismatic duplicity. By the musical's grand finale, Hill has so successfully wormed his way into the hearts of the good townsfolk that it didn't matter he had lied to them. Life was good, the town content and he, after all, was so darn charming.

After a series of speeches by Democratic women senators, and a competent-if-flat address by first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the president was first introduced in a biopic that highlighted his administration's greatest photo ops.

With complete superstar treatment, Clinton was introduced to the crowd like a prizefighter, oddly following a hand-held camera backstage through the arena's long, sterile-white hallways, making his way to the stage. When he finally appeared, he stopped briefly to shake some hands on the enormous stage, embracing only his chief fundraiser, Terry "the Macker" MacAuliffe.

We did it, President Clinton told a pumped-up crowd waving hundreds of signs reading, "Thank you, President Clinton." And followed with an implicit message: Now don't screw it up.

With his honeysuckle charm, Clinton delivered a masterful oration, the crowd eating up his every "aw-shucks," reporters shaking their heads in a reluctant admiration for one of American history's greatest public speakers, one who inevitably reminds listeners that Al Gore is off-puttingly plastic, and Gov. George W. Bush seems, frankly, not quite ready for prime time.

"Eight years ago, when our party met in New York, it was a far different time for America," Clinton reminded the nation. "Our economy was in trouble, our society was divided, our political system was paralyzed. Ten million of our fellow citizens were out of work. Interest rates were high. The deficit was $290 billion and rising. After 12 years of Republican rule, the federal debt had quadrupled, imposing a crushing burden on our economy and on our children."

Then -- as is Democratic mantra, part mythos and part fact -- Clinton and his running mate, Al Gore (referred to as "one of the very best decisions of my life" by Clinton) -- launched their economic plan, which passed both houses of Congress with not one Republican vote, not even that of Clinton's now-secretary of defense, former Maine Sen. Bill Cohen.

"Not a single Republican supported it," Clinton said. "Their leaders said it would increase the deficit, kill jobs and give us a one-way ticket to recession.

"Time has not been kind to their predictions," Clinton dead-panned. "You remember our Republican friends said then they would not be held responsible for our economic policies. I hope the American people will take them at their word."

Making sure to praise both his wife and running mate, Clinton was at his most alive when he spoke of his administration's accomplishments -- slapping Bush père and fils in the process -- and talking about, naturally, himself. Daddy Bush had vetoed the Family and Medical Leave Act, he said. "It's the first bill I signed."

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