John McCain's Oratory Leaves Much To Be Desired

Washington Independent:

Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in all but name, has spent this week on an autobiographical road trip, seeking to pull attention from the still combative Democratic contest by highlighting important places in his remarkable life story. But if the "Service to America Tour" has shown the strength of McCain's biography, it has also underscored his real weakness as a speech-maker.

We're talking style here, not substance. But in oratory, this is not a minor detail. In formal speeches - like those delivered this week at his Alexandria, Va., high school and at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1958, despite what he called "an impressive catalogue of demerits" - McCain (R-Ariz.) appears dependent on a teleprompter, delivering even the most personal passages with an odd detachment. In his telling, his difficult five-and-a-half years as Vietnam prisoner of war might have happened to someone else.

Read the whole story: Washington Independent

Comments

[lysistrata]

When he talks so softly I always think deep down he is suppressing his real feelings, just rage lots of rage, he can't risk to let go, he might lose control.

[hopelessobama]

what a crock, i've seen obama without a teleprompter, and its not good. he had to bust out flash cards to get through it. but then again, obama has never had his jaw and teeth smashed in so perhaps that would affect his speech-making ability. considering what mccain has endured, his speech-making is just fine.

[Davwbaird]

The Doctors have all become very rich.

[TheIndependenceParty]

I would love a candid opinion from a neurologist of McCain's motor skills, mannerisms, and assymetry of facial muscle movement, ... over and above his scarring and surgical defects. (Don't give me crap about this, ... as I've had the same sort of facial surgery myself). It seems to me, there is something altogether not quite right about the man.

He seems to reach for hands that are not there to shake, ... granted the process of appearances is grueling. He speaks in a monotone that is painful to listen through, ... and that does not even address his "gaffes" or "lies" or whatever the disconnected thoughts are that he spouts about Al Qaeda, Purim, ... and many other seemingly random thoughts from podia all over the world.

This is not even Reagan at his worst. Imagining him being sworn in almost a year from now is frightening, for him and for America.

[JessWonderin]

This could be a lot of work selling McCrap to America . . . . son of a Admiral graduates 893 out of 899 is like the son of a Congressman at the bottom quarter of his test group, vaulting over better qualified men to get an Air Guard Pilot slot . . . the result of '"a lot of hard work" . . .comes home from war, cheats then dumps the old wife and kids to marry a young rich woman eager to fund his political goals . . . think we'll heard about the Keating Five or tales of travels with Lobbyists?

Somehow I think when the light shimes on McSame and his Beer Baroness Junkie Wife, we'll see how the numbers look . . . .

[hopelessobama]

junki wife? yea, thats gonna win over the 70% of registerd voters who are white who have no desire to watch michelle the black panther lecture us. that 'junkie' has sent a son to war and sacraficed more then you punk.

[lysistrata]

She looks more like a victim. The information coming out shows her suffering verbal abuse from her spouse and maybe there is more we don't know just yet.

The Bush people some time ago did hint of his having problems because of Vietnam.

[BillZBubb]

It doesn't make one damn bit of difference whether McCain can give speeches or not. It doesn't make one damn bit of difference that he will look pathetic in debates. Bush got elected twice and McCain is as good a speechifier as Bush and a better debatifier.

The idiots in this country don't vote based on knowledge or ability. Who will cut taxes, who will keep gays from marrying, and who would be better to have a beer with--those are the issues for most.

[Gary47]

This is nothing but the repub electioneers lowing the expectations bar. He'll be practiced enough come Labor Day. Remember, they got the worst President ever elected twice. As lame as McCain is, there is plenty more for them to work with.

[mix2007]

Funny stuff. McCain is a terrible public speaker. It will be delicious to watch him yammer and mumble in competition with the soaring and compelling oratory of Sen. Obama.

McCain will end up revealed as the weird creep he really is.

[robXdion]

That would be great if only Hillary would get the message and go away. The match-up between Obama & McCain looks to be unfair just as Romney predicted after Iowa. McCain will be stubborn about foreign policy without specifics and getting details wrong. Obama will run circles around him on domestic policy. McCain will definitely loose his composure when discussing Iraq, watch. It'll be ugly.

[4wehttam]

Hillary will never get the message. I fear she might even go as far as sending a secret coded message to her supporters not to support Obama so he can lose.

Sorry, I know it's far out there, but I just don't trust her one bit.......and the longer she's in the race the more lies she tells.

[hopelessobama]

soaring oratory? thats all he has, rhetoric. when the cameras are off he is a two bit scum lawyer who is more mayor daley then martin luther king. he is a slimeball who was too gutless to enlist and serve his country. mccain's a hero, and your smears won't change that. senator snoop dog is going down.

[treadway123]

Boys boys! stop! Mccain is a war hero, and a lot of a straight shooter! But his memory does fail him, and know four times has had to be corrected. This isn't a slip. But , a real problem. It would be terrible embarrassing during a debate, if obama had to lean over and correct him like Joseph lieberman has had to do! I'm not smearing Mccain to point our some real problems Americans are concerned about! One is his age. Two his his Health Three is the apparent memory problem he has Four is he's a stiff speaker who just doesn't do we to draw people in or keep them interested in what he is saying. This isn't putting down Mccain! We appreciate his war service and his time in the Senate! No body is trying to take that away from him. But, his out look also on this war, isn't what America wants either! And I fear his age, health, memory or terrible temper could cause seriouse problems with him answering that phone at 3 in the morning. Plus when you lose your temper and call your wife a cunt------­-------tha­t's a signal to all woman that this man has a problem!

[chronic]

The McCain selection is further proof of the fracture and failure of conservatism, thanks to bush the idiot.

[djthedj]

Conservatism hasn't failed. It hasn't been tried. Today's republicans (going back to Reagan) are not even remotely conservative. They are corporate socialists, ie. facists.