The Speech
Listening to the Bush speech right now, but since Kos released it about a half hour ago, have already read it, and Bush is letter perfect.

It's basically his ordinary stump speech, identical (but much...... looonnnnggger ....) and more slowly delivered than those at whitehouse.gov. The audience doesn't seem to know where they're supposed to respond big, though, and they seem to be tiring.

At the rate he's going, he's gonna be at it for about another half hour at least.

Not dynamic. Really, really boring so far.

He's sounding a little irritated to me as he goes down his laundry list, as though he shouldn't even have to be here.

Oh, lord. He's going on about privatizing social security, while trying not to scare the big boomer generation to death. Hey, we already have IRAs and 401K plans. If you don't have a good job, how can you save? And oh, boy.... 1.5 percent interest rate. I love that. Or possibly lose it all.

Oh, lord. He just spoke Spanish. I can't stand this. He's only at page 4 of 10 right now.

That's it. I'm gone.

Oh, God, he's making fun of www.johnkerry.com -- go there now. I beg of you, turn away from this monster. Turn off the bubble machine.... turn off the bubble machine....

UPDATE:

I can't believe he got through the whole thing. It was like he was in a coccoon or something. Is he medicated?

Am listening to PBS right now and we're learning all about the balloons, 100,000 of them. They seem utterly obsessed with it, like they're not sure what on earth to actually say about the speech itself.
CSPAN is supposed to be broadcasting a Kerry speech in a few minutes. The comparison should be awesome.

Another UPDATE:

Here's the Associated Press take on it, which with luck will get into the "breaking news" queues of all the small-town newspapers in the nation.

Bush Leaves Out Complex Facts in Speech

NEW YORK - President Bush (news - web sites)'s boast of a 30-member-strong coalition in Iraq (news - web sites) masked the reality that the United States is bearing the overwhelming share of costs, in lives and troop commitments. And in claiming to have routed most al-Qaida leaders, he did not mention that the big one got away.

Only a few of the problems with the speech detailed here, but it's a start.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:22 PM | | | Link |