The Democrat who used libertarian politics and a bipartisan ticket to bust through years of Republican dominance in the state with his 2004 win is being called a new Democratic Party celebrity. Others say his prime-time speech on energy Tuesday night was a hit and makes him a future candidate for president. Scwheitzer says such talk is "silly."

The governor says his speech was simply full of the same stuff he talks about in Montana, but this time a lot more people were watching. Pundits, however, were surprised to see someone get the crowd revved up by talking about renewable energy.