Presented with opportunities to engage, he sometimes whiffs. Even in a campaign's political whirl, Williams can have the air of a man standing off to the side, an observer at his own party. Indeed, as Williams and his team work to mold the anti-candidate into a pleasing shape during the campaign's final weeks, the entire enterprise still has an experimental air, a product of the aspiring mayor's originality and his political rawness. Spoofing the owlishness of his boss, he draws delighted howls when he mimics an imagined Williams moment at campaign headquarters on victory night. The stage is set, Wareck says, drawing the scene.
Colorful balloons are everywhere.
Bunting, television cameras, a crowd, emotion. Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw break into coverage to announce the dramatic Williams win. Supporters cheer madly. Williams impressed a well-heeled audience in Colonial Heights one recent evening with his talk of the city's needs, its potential and his determination to fix things. I had real doubts.