I met Bob Poe tonight.

Bob Poe, an erstwhile state commissioner and former president of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., has announced his run for the Alaska Democratic gubernatorial ticket in 2010. Whether Sarah Palin will seek re-election is yet to be determined. But if she does, The Hillsays that Poe could prove to be a formidable challenger:

Poe is viewed as a serious, viable candidate by state Democrats, though there are some other candidates that could derail Poe's bid to unseat Palin. Poe lacks statewide name recognition unlike a candidate such as Ethan Berkowitz, the Democrat who came close to defeating Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) this past November.

I went to this Democratic "meet and greet" held at Cafe Del Mundo in midtown. The idea was to show support for and to congratulate the Democrats who just won their races and are headed off to Juneau. It was also to meet the Democrats who are throwing their hats into the ring for future races. Such as the Mayor's race and the Governors race in 2010.

Essentially I showed up just to hang out with fellow bloggers, give a hug to my gal CC, and get an idea if there any up and coming Democrats who are "blog worthy".

I saw many of the same familiar faces, and a few new ones. But there was one guy that was causing quite a buzz among the Democratic base, and it was some guy named Bob Poe. A man who it seems shares my dissatisfaction with our current Governor and is convinced that he could do a better job. (I know what you are thinking. Who couldn't?)

Now I had absolutely no idea who Bob Poe was, and really neither did any of my friends. None of the progressive bloggers seemed to know anything about him, none of my political rally friends seemed to know of him, hell even the always very informed CC could only shrug her shoulders.

Hmm intriguing.

So I decided, well hell I need to meet this guy.

I worked my way through the crowd, and then waited patiently with the line of people who were also waiting to shake hands with the man who may some day be our future Governor. I listened as each person talked about the issues near and dear to their hearts and then posed to him the questions that they hoped would reveal that he both understood and shared their concerns.

I saw smiling face after smiling face walk away after talking to wannabe Governor Bob Poe.

Oh this guy is good.

In my mind I formulated the proper questions to ask him that would reveal, in my few moments with him, that he was somebody that I could support in a future race. I soon realized that there was only one way to start this conversation.

After the nice lady with the special needs child finally released her steely grip from Poe's hand and walked away with a broad smile and damp eyes I stepped up.

He extended his hand. "Hi am Bob Poe, and you are?"

"I am one of those anonymous bloggers that you have been hearing so much about."

Mr. Poe's eyebrow lifted slightly and a smile slowly crept across his face.

"Go ahead ask me anything" he said, without any hint of trepidation. "Anything" I thought. Okay now we're talking.

I asked a few questions about the most pressing topics of the day. I politely listened to his answers, which were well informed and articulate, but I also paid very close attention to how he answered the questions and looked for anything in his body language that would indicate that he was bothered by my questions or that he was simply telling me what he believed I wanted to hear. He seemed genuinely to enjoy the conversation and answered each question far more effusively then was necessary. He had both passion and an impressive depth of knowledge. I was becoming a little impressed.

So then I decided to tell Mr. Bob Poe what I was looking for in a candidate.

"I want somebody that will help restore the reputation of my state" I said. "I want a smart, ethical person who will make decisions in an open and transparent fashion. I want a Governor who will make decisions that are in Alaska's best interests while keeping his ears open to the needs of the citizens at all times."

And then I decided to take my gloves off. "I also want a Governor with some balls! I want a man, or woman, who can stand toe to toe with any politician in the Republican stable. I want a Democrat who will not whine that things are not fair or fade from the fight when the battle is not yet won. Are you that Democrat?"

"I believe I am" he said. And he said it very convincingly. I briefly imagined him debating Sarah Palin and knew it would be over before it began, she is simply not in this guys league.

I walked away from meeting Bob Poe with a renewed confidence in the future of Alaska.

Will Bob Poe be the man who the Democrats choose to do battle with Sarah Palin in 2010? My crystal ball is just not that clear on the subject.

Is he likely to lose the nomination to Ethan Berkowitz? Absolutely not. Ethan is not the kind of Democrat we need in 2010. But Bob Poe? Well Bob Poe might very well be exactly what we are looking for.

(For more information on Bob Poe please visit his website at BobPoe.Com)