I caught a bit of Barak Obama's coronation speech the other night. Just a few comments:

1) Obama is one of the better political speakers we've seen in a while. I include Bill Clinton in this. When Clinton speaks (I've thought this from day one), I say over and over to myself, "How does anyone believe anything he says?" He has a little smirk that makes me think deep within, "He knows he's lying and this is all political paper mache'." Not so with Barak Obama. No deceptive smirk. He's just a better political public speaker. There is no WAY McCain can compare. He shouldn't even try. He's Dr. Bland compared to the golden tongued Obama.

2) It was an amazing and historic night. An African-American man being nominated to be President of the United States. That should make us proud. I was proud to live in America. I think it is a great sign that the Democratic party can finally support an African-American other than Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, neither of which many could ever really seriously consider to be President. 84,000 people in a stadium cheering a man who walks out onto a stage built to look like the Parthenon (says Peggy Noonan). It was one of the most impressive coronations I've seen in my short run at watching presidential nominations. I'm sure the Clintons were bitterly and jealously in awe.

3) Here's what I heard that struck a chord in me as I listened to the current prince of political popularity: He agrees with the Bush administration now that a timeline is needed for the troops to come home (he accused McCain as being the only one who wants to see the war drag on while still being joined to the hip of the unpopular sitting President-a little odd here).

I also heard him say (my take here): Abortion is a small thing. Homosexuality is a small thing [he actually said we should all agree that homosexual couples should be given the right to visit their 'loved one' in the hospital if they wanted-WHAT? Are hospitals disallowing visitors to patients based on homo or hetero-sexuality? - He

Thank you Mark Finkelstein.Peggy Noonan wrote speeches for Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. She really knows how to spin a phrase!Peggy Noonan made a serious point about MSNBC’s slanted coverage, and I suppose seriousness compels me to mention it first.  But please do yourself a favor and stay tuned for the description of Peggy’s un-PC laugh line that could be the best guilty pleasure of the campaign season. Joe Scarborough opened today’s Morning Joe with an ode to the wonderfulness that was Obama last night.  He was entirely in tune with Olbermann’s claim that the speech was beyond criticism.  All the adoration apparently annoyed Peggy, and she made a point of providing a counterweight when she appeared later in the show.PEGGY NOONAN: Well, it was a bit of a “flop-a-lini” to tell you the truth.MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Wow!NOONAN: There were things about it that didn’t work. Six months from now we’re all going to remember the event. We’re going to remember the Parthenon, the 60,000 people, the confetti shot out of the cannon.  We’re going to remember all that.  We will not, I think, remember what he said.  I think there was simply a number of problems with it . . . I’m actually putting a little edge on my criticism just to make up for the fact that on MSNBC last night somebody said, quote, “it wasn’t a speech: it was a symphony.” I’m sorry; I won’t even name who did it. I am here to balance that bit of fatuous — fatuous suck-upping!more about "Noonan Calls Obama Speech a "Flop-A-L...", posted with vodpodA Breath of Fresh Air