Two excellent performances, and now, some nit-picking
The NYT has a pretty good piece on the Al Smith dinner, but it’s hard to capture the moment without watching the video. Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama gave funny speeches that had the crowd well entertained. McCain’s comic timing was particularly impressive. The speeches seemed to us surprisingly well delivered, given how little time it would appear either man had to prepare. McCain’s speech runs about 15 minutes and is available in two parts here and here. Obama’s speech is here. Enjoy them.
Now the nit-picking. Senator Obama concluded his speech with some remarks about our current economic storm:
in this country there are millions of fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters, who need us very much, especially now. We are being battered by a very serious economic storm, and for many Americans it’s only deepened the quiet storms they’ve been struggling through for years…I have no doubt that if we come together at this moment of crisis with this goal in mind, America will meet this challenge and weather this storm. And in the words of Al Smith, walk once more in eternal sunshine.
As far as our research indicates, “Newsboy Al” Smith, the Happy Warrior whose only education after parochial school concluded with a degree in F.F.M. (Fulton Fish Market), actually said this:
The American people never carry an umbrella. They prepare to walk in eternal sunshine.
Not a big deal, perhaps, but Smith’s remarks seem much more about American optimism than American storms. Finally, you may decide for yourself what significance, if any, to apply to Senator Obama’s posing the rhetorical question “who is Barack Obama?” as a major theme of the address, as well as the three separate occasions in which the candidate chose to bring attention to the foreignness of his name. It seemed a little odd to us.