by Blue Stockings | A lot of people who mainly remember him for his gentlemanly demeanor and swiftboating were surprised by this speech. Funny how the media image of someone can override what you know about him. As Pamela Leavey says, this is the real John Kerry. Many bloggers think it was the best speech of the night---so infuriated that it wasn't aired. As Andrew Sullivan said, "Cable believed their pundits were more interesting than this speech. They made the wrong call."
I always knew Kerry could kick ass.
Never in modern history has an administration squandered American power so recklessly. Never has strategy been so replaced by ideology. Never has extremism so crowded out common sense and fundamental American values. Never has short-term partisan politics so depleted the strength of America's bipartisan foreign policy.
George Bush, with John McCain at his side, promised to spread freedom but delivered the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. They misread the threat and misled the country. Instead of freedom, it's Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban and dictators everywhere that are on the march. North Korea has more bombs, and Iran is defiantly chasing one.
Our mission is to restore America's influence and position in the world. We must use all the weapons in our arsenal, above all, our values. President Obama and Vice President Biden will shut down Guantanamo, respect the Constitution, and make clear once and for all, the United States of America does not torture, not now, not ever.
He picks up Bill C's theme about leading by example:
We must listen and lead by example because even a nation as powerful as the United States needs some friends in this world. We need a leader who understands all our security challenges, not just bombs and guns, but global warming, global terror and global AIDS. And Barack Obama understands there is no way for America to be secure until we create clean energy here at home, not with a little more oil in five, 10 or 20 years, but with an energy revolution starting right now. (More...)
As WhisperDispatch says here, it was a "barnburner" of a speech. BlueOllie says: "Let’s put it this way: I wonder where in the hell this fire was 4 years ago???? Dang; this Kerry might have won!"
Pamela Leavey writes:
He left no stone un-turned, he left as he pilloried John McCain with the “strongest language yet uttered from the convention podium.”. (Democratic Daily)..
She is surprised by the surprise.
I have never heard a speach from Kerry that wasn’t “stirring, passionate, acerbic and moving.” Okay… So, I’m biased. I’m still an avid Kerry supporter and always will be (Democratic Daily).
At The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates thinks it was the best speech of the convention.
John Kerry brought it. I felt so bad for how he went down. But it looked like he pulled from all of that pain and just offered up an incredible speech. I caught it on NPR while driving toward the Pepsi Center. Funny thing is, had I been watching the networks, I would have missed it.
Josh Marshall said:
Hillary's, Bill's and Biden's speeches were great, each in their own way. Democrats had the night they'd been waiting for tonight. But you probably didn't see John Kerry's speech because most of the networks cut away to feature their yakkers. As I said earlier, in its own way, I think it was the best speech of the convention, certainly the best speech I've ever seen John Kerry give. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor, set aside 13:13 and watch ...
As Greenwald says, John Kerry was the only one to remind people of the gross abuses of the Bush Administration.
This is a speech everyone should see.
Grrrrrrr. Firkin flappin whappin pundits jabber jabber jabber dang time.
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I had a big old crush on him back in the day.
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