Democrats relish Zell

Democratic Party chair Terry McAuliffe couldn’t say enough about Miller’s speech on Thursday.

“I was absolutely shocked about the performance last night,’’ McAuliffe told reporters in an Oscar worth performance. The swing voters at stake in the next 60 days probably turned off their television sets after five minutes of Zell, McAuliffe said.

“Whoever booked Zell Miller should not longer work in politics.”

The Democratic loyalist likened Miller’s caustic remarks about Kerry to divisive comments made by conservative Pat Buchanan at the GOP convention in Houston in 1992. Buchanan’s attacks on Democrats were blamed by some Republicans for costing President George Bush – the president’s father – victory in 1992.

“Clearly this was ‘92 Pat Buchanan redux,’’ McAuliffe said. “No question about it. I don’t know if they hadn’t read the (Miller) speech ahead of time. I don’t know if something happened to him walking up the stairs, but the manner in which he gave it (didn’t work).”