Posted by
Andrews on Friday, April 04, 2008 5:28:43 PM
I was just rereading "
the speech" to see if there was something I missed. As I have heard so many on the left, and even a few on the right, making so much of how great this speech was, I thought perhaps I missed something. So I found myself reading it again, and I still just cannot find the greatness a number of others seem to find.
I did find one petty little gripe right at the beginning. By positing the words of the Constitution as the words that "launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy", he seems to be dismissing the entire period of the Articles of Confederation, but, as most school children seem to be unaware anything happened between the Declaration of Independence and signing of the Constitution, I will give him a pass. I would expect a bit more from the Ivy League, but maybe he is just talking down to his audience.
He also manages to misquote the preamble to the Constitution, but again, educational standards have been slipping for a long time. Though you would hope a presidential candidate would know it is "We, the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...". Maybe he thinks saying "United States" is more phony patriotism? Although apparently speaking in front of eight flags is not. (Maybe he is excused that false patriotism because he still won't wear the pin.)
Leaving aside such petty little points, I did find something else interesting.
After he mentions Wright, and says that he denounced him, Obama then asks the important question, why he stayed with Wright for twenty years. He then says that Wright is "more" than the snippets seen on youtube, mentioning that Wright brought him to Jesus and was a Marine and did some work with poor and homeless. Then Obama throws in a quote form his book (almost as if he were on Oprah giving a plug, rather than running for president). And...
And suddenly he is telling us about the congregation at his church. No more about Wright. Just some words about how Trinity "embodies the black community". Not another word about how America hating, anti-semitic, anti-white speech doesn't mean Wright is a bad guy.
If the Democrats and Obama think this answered the fears of the independents, they are delusional. It is the most obvious evasion ever.
Now, I will admit, I let the MSM convince me that maybe I was missing something, maybe my first impression was wrong, and Obama said more than I recalled, but reading this speech again, I find my memory vindicated. There is nothing more there than what I heard. It is not the "great speech" i was told he delivered. It is simply a massive evasion, wrapped in as many words as possible.
Fortunately, I don't see any signs that anyone outside of the Democrat faithful are buying it. As far as I can tell, this sales pitch is not working, and Obama wil be hearing more about the Wright issue should he get the nomination.