Listening to Blago defend himself live on the radio just now, I was struck by the great communication ability he displayed (I couldn't see it, obviously, but it sounded extemporaneous). It was simple and direct, although not the least believeable, he made it all sound so plausible. This is in sharp contrast to Barack Obama, who I consider a very poor deliverer of speeches and a horrendous creater of off-the-cuff remarks.
Why does everyone say he gives a great speech? I have never heard it, and if not for the shrieking of Hilary he would have been the worst of the lot in the Democratic primary. I listened -- and how can you avoid him, really -- to his speech on race, his convention speech and various pronouncements since then. I never liked one of them. The Emperor has no game.
His pacing is wooden and ponderous, his style bloated and self-important. (Not to mention his unscripted remarks have more huhs and ums than a sixteen-year-old's telephone conversation.) He remains in campaign mode, which means he can not provide specifics or clear direction. Even a few days ago, in saying we have moved beyond terms like small government and big government to an era of smart government. What does that mean? It's political cotton candy. It is light and fluffy and sweet and absolutely devoid of substance. Unless Mark Steyn is correct, and it means "smart" is the next in a series that goes from "small" to "big" and continues growing.
Every speech Obama gives is a string of meaningless phrases stitched together with his egotistical rhetorical flourishes, to my ear. It's lawyer talk without the benefit of actually having to have made convincing arguments before a jury. Like 48% of American voters, I remain unconvinced Obama knows what he's doing or is willing to tell us what he will do. We'll see in 12 days.
