Will Kossacks Lie Down With Mark Warner For Some Free Drinks and a Shrimp on a Stick?

I wasn't able to attend the Yearly Kos convention, but I did read several blogs about it and watched a few segments on Air America's streaming video--including the keynote address by Mark Warner.

Based on the central role awarded Warner, the enthusiasm for Warner expressed by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga (aka Kos) , and the overall positive reaction of the crowd, I'm concerned that many in this sector of the liberal blogosphere can be bought off by a politician showing a little interest and stroking their outsider egos.

Already Kos's writing partner, MyDD.com blogger Jerome Armstrong, has signed on as a Senior Advisor to the Warner campaign. Apparantly Warner was an early supporter of the Yearly Kos convention and in return was awarded the keynote speaker's spot. Kos introduced Warner in glowing terms, and after Warner showed a slick 5-minute campaign ad, begged the audience to hold back their tears.

Warner also threw a $75,000 party for the Kos convention-goers at the Stratosphere with an open bar and a lavish display of food. According to several blogs, the day after the party, when Warner gave his keynote speech, the audience reacteed enthusastically.

Warner is another pro-business politician supported by the corporate-sponsored DLC. To the extent he has taken any positions (his speech was full of generalities and light on specifics), he is hard to distinguish from Hillary Clinton.

Warner seems to be a much more likeable DLC candidate than Hillary: young, vigrous and somewhat charismatic in almost a JFK and RFK sort of way. If the only choices for the 2008 Democratic nomination were Hillary Clinton and Mark Warner, Warner is probably the more electable. But with more progressive possibilities like Gore, Clark, Edwards, and Feingold, it hardly seems time for important elements of the progressive blogosphere to hitch their wagons to a DLC follower like Warner.

It should take more than a few free Drinks and a shrimp on a stick in a Las Vega hotel to gain the support of the liberal bloggers

P.S.I have great respect for what Kos, Armstrong, and many of the Yearly Kos convention attendees have accomplished in building a progressive movement. If Kos and Armstrong happen to read this post, I would be interested in hearing their comments. Maybe I'm missing something.