Shales: On Television, A Day That Speaks for Itself

[kskiska]

It's a wonder, really, that the words didn't fly right off the page. "Soaring" and "lofty" were the adjectives most often used by network chatterboxes in describing the Second Inaugural Address of George W. Bush, delivered yesterday from the West Front of the Capitol building.

Security was so tight that at that moment, the Capitol became the loveliest armed camp in the world. The speech was lovely, too, and at 21 minutes, sensibly brief. Historians reading the speech in the future, or people reading the transcript this morning in the newspaper, may well marvel at the language. Unfortunately, it will probably be more impressive in print than as Bush, in his usual baby-blue necktie, delivered it.

Bush's capabilities as an orator fluctuate from speech to speech, and this time they were at low ebb. The delivery lacked heart and soul.

Of course the pressures are tremendous, standing there surrounded by thousands of people, dozens of television cameras, a gaggle of past presidents -- including Bush's father -- and the security forces that network reporters kept talking about. The cruel horror of 9/11 will haunt such public spectacles, especially patriotic ones, for many years to come. Bush was also surrounded by large prompting devices, gadgetry with which he has never been comfortable. An overhead camera zoomed in to show that the speech had also been neatly typed on pages that Bush could read from.

All politics aside, if Bill Clinton had delivered that speech, there would have been goose pimples from sea to shining sea. Bush didn't rise to the occasion…

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24730-2005Jan20.html

[JDPriestly]

1. The next four years are going to be just one big

disappointment. Brace yourselves.

[Southsideirish]

2. Weird - I had the exact same reaction as Tom Shales - flat and terribly

delivered speech. Something was wrong with "El Shrub-o" today.