The Clintons Speak

A two-year campaign consisting of:
A year-long ramp-up ...
A fiercely-fought six months of primaries and caucuses ...
A week-long delay to concede ...
A two-month negotiation to decide on speaking slots ...
A week filled with rumors of dissension among diehard supporters ...

Then, on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton stood on the main stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver to declare her support for Barack Obama, followed the next night by her husband who did the same.

After months of rough and tough attacks in the primaries, Bill Clinton's speech was a throwback to his old rhetorical self. He went all the way back the use of classic antithesis: two contrasting ideas juxtaposed in adjacent phrases. "Most important of all, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are first strong at home." Then, Clinton did it again, "People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."

Sound familiar? Remember the antithesis in Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." And in John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

In the former president's vintage manner, he stayed above the fray, criticizing his Republican opponents often, but never once mentioning John McCain and George W. Bush by name. Clinton also reverted to his Rhodes-scholarly, but characteristically-animated roll call of statistics and facts to pound home his themes.

But most of all, he removed all doubts about his well-publicized reluctance to be supportive, first by comparing himself to Obama, "My fellow Democrats, 16 years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory... Together, we prevailed in a hard campaign in which Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. Sound familiar?"

And then, repudiating not only the Republican, but also his own earlier charges that the Illinois Senator was too inexperienced, Clinton, ever the consummate showman, raised his long finger like a maestro's baton and beating cadence, intoned, "Barack Obama is ready to lead America and to restore American leadership in the world. Barack Obama is ready to honor the oath, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States."

Bill Clinton followed those 3 consecutive direct references to Barack Obama by name with 15 others during his 23-minute speech. During her speech of the same length, Hillary Clinton said Barack Obama's name 13 times, "me" 12 times, and "I" 21 times.

Unlike her husband, however, she went at the Republican candidate directly with her forcefully delivered, crowd-pleasing, "No way, no how, no McCain!"

Comments

[teacheng]

The great presidents were all great orators. Next up: Barack Obama.

[PATina]

I enjoyed listening (and watching... he's facial expressions crack me up) Clinton's speech last night.