The President's Speech - by Joe Klein

[Pryderi]

The President's Speech
Posted by Joe Klein Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:27 pm 10 Comments
Barack Obama spoke to the city of Tucson, and to the United States of America, not so much as our President tonight, but as a member of our family. He spoke as a son--I couldn't help but think of his personal regret over not being by his mother's side when she passed as he said, "Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder." You could see the devastation insinuate itself onto, and then be quietly willed away from, his face. He spoke as a brother to his fellow public servants, killed and wounded in the events--an eager brother bringing the glad tidings the Gabrielle Giffords had opened her eyes. He repeated it, joyously, three times. But most of all, he spoke as a father--rising to a glorious peak describing the departed 9-year-old, Christine Taylor Green, a girl near the age of his daughters, whose own deaths, perhaps in the line of fire, he had so clearly been thinking about. And he spoke, more broadly, as the head of our national family, comforting, uplifting, scolding a little, nudging us toward our better angels.

It was a remarkably personal speech, effortlessly sweeping away any notion of pomposity, over-intellectuality or distance. It was written and delivered in plain English.



Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/01/12/the-presidents-speech-2/#ixzz1At3Dh276

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. K and R

glad to see Klein getting it right

[Ineeda]

2. A joy to behold at a very sad event. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I have no words for how good he was...nt

[housewolf]

4. I was in tears during much of Obama's talk - and this article brought them back

I am easily moved to tears, they flowed freely tonight. Thanks to Joe Klein for recognizing and capturing those special moments of Obama's talk tonight.

[polmaven]

6. I was able to keep my emotion

in check until the very end, but when he spoke about how we must live up to being the country which Christina envisioned us to be - well - that was the end of dry cheeks for me.

The speech was obviously from the heart, and was wonderfully given.

[lillypaddle]

5. Glad to read this

happy to rec