"Mark R. Warner held up Virginia as a model for good government and warned during his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that Sen. John McCain of Arizona cannot be trusted to lead the country to a prosperous future.

Part of Warner's speech centered on the themes he has frequently touched on during his Senate campaign against former governor James S. Gilmore III in Virginia, but he also sought to frame the presidential race between McCain (R) and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as a contest that will decide whether the United States can make progress toward better technology, schools and respect around the world.

"Yes, the race for the future is on, and it won't be won if only some Americans are in the running," Warner told the delegates. "It won't be won with yesterday's ideas and yesterday's divisions. And it won't be won with a president who is stuck in the past."

But the former Virginia governor acknowledged this week that he is not a soaring orator and was not going to offer Democrats much "red meat" last night.

Delivering his arguments for Obama to respectful, but not roof-raising, applause, Warner largely steered clear of the fiery rhetoric that has dominated some keynote addresses. Those have often signaled that a political star was rising on the national stage, as it was with Obama four years ago or Ann Richards, Texas governor, in 1988.

Warner's speech might not have shaken the rafters, but it did put the spotlight again on Virginia's role in the presidential race. For decades, Virginia has been reliably Republican in such contests, but Obama is hopeful that he can win its 13 electoral votes this year by embracing many of the same themes that Warner and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) have promoted.

Warner said Obama would be a president who "understands the world today" and would work to reverse what the popular former governor called the failed the policies of President Bush's administration.

"John McCain promises more of the same," Warner said.

He stressed that the Democratic Party has to do a better job of reaching out to independents by showing that it can rise above partisanship.

He referred to his efforts as governor from 2002 to 2006 to work with moderate Republicans in the General Assembly to enact taxes to try to reverse Virginia's reputation for not spending enough on social services and education.

Warner used lofty rhetoric to get voters to think about the future and whether they want a Democratic or Republican president at the helm of the nation's economic and social policies.

"Right now, at this critical moment in our history, we have one shot to get it right," Warner said. "And the status quo just won't cut it."

Warner said he is uniquely positioned to see into the future, given his business success. After a number of failed ventures, Warner amassed a $200 million fortune as the co-founder of Nextel in the early 1980s -- years before many Americans knew what a cellphone was.

"Friends told me: 'Warner, get a real job. No one is going to want a phone in the car,' " the former governor said. "But I saw a different future."

Warner touched on many of the themes that have defined his political career in Virginia. "I spent 20 years in business," Warner said. "If you ran a company whose only strategy was to tear down the competition, it wouldn't last long. . . . I know we are at a Democratic convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn't matter if it is a 'D' or an 'R' next to it. . . . It's not about left versus right. It's about future versus past."

He said he has confidence in Obama to combat global warming, extend health insurance to more Americans, invest in public education and fix the nation's slumping economy.

Warner recounted his efforts as governor that brought jobs to Lebanon, a small town in the coal country of southwestern Virginia. By electing Obama, Warner said, the standard of living in small towns across the country can be improved.

Warner spoke about serving as governor in the state of Thomas Jefferson and the daunting task of following Obama's speech four years ago -- and last night having to go before Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), whom the crowd appeared to be eagerly awaiting while listening to him.

People waved signs reading "Renewing America's Promise" during Warner's speech and offered supportive words afterward.

Gaylene Kanoyton, 48, a delegate from Hampton, Va., said that Warner is known for going "across party lines" and that she appreciated that he talked more about issues than simply beating up on Bush.

"Mark Warner focused on the issues and the need to get the job done," she said.

George Wallace, 68, another Hampton delegate, said: "He drew clear analogies about what the issues are and what the country needs to understand is at risk." Wallace said that the thinking that Warner needed to attack Bush amounted to "horsefeathers."

In recent days, Warner had begun trying to manage expectations about his speech.

"I told the Obama campaign early on, if they wanted a slash-and-burn contrasting speaker, that is not me," Warner said during a recent interview." (Tim Craig, The Washington Post, August 27, 2008)

Staff writer David Nakamura contributed to this report.