"He instinctively can find the shining greatness of our American culture and does a good job of highlighting it (although he also does have those rare lapses when he writes about hockey, but that is something caused by impurities in the Eastern waters or something)." Erik Keilholtz
Under the patronage of St. Tammany
Mark C. N. Sullivan is an editor at a Massachusetts university. He is married and the father of three children. Email
If you like Oprah, you liked Michelle Obama's speech.
The Irish Elk's view of the proceedings is captured by Jay Nordlinger:
Do you notice that soldiers in Iraq are being kind of infantilized at this convention? They’re so often referred to as social-welfare cases — people in need of health benefits and so on. Delicate. Fragile. A mother was “worried about her child in Iraq.” Okay, he’s her child, all right. But he’s also a soldier.
The speakers I’ve heard don’t seem to want our soldiers to fight and win. They are simply “children” to be cared for, by Democratic programs.
That seems to be the Party's whole pitch: we're all social-welfare cases, in need of care. Not exactly inspiring or challenging.
The Irish Elk was reminded of Rob Long's holographic floating giant Obama head ("The Long View," National Review, 9/1/08) when the telecast image of the Man of the Hour appeared, Jambi-like, from the Mekka-lekka-hi-mekka-hi-de-ho box in the middle of the stage. Hi, Daddy! What city are you in?
The born-in-a-log-cabin spiel has a long pedigree in American presidential politics, but Mrs Obama's effort to shoehorn her husband's (relatively exotic) upbringing and her own into the Average Working Class template was scripted at best. Where's John Edwards when you need him?
Striking how many of the delegates appeared to be earnest feminist college professors. That some of them were crying at Mrs Obama's speech suggests they like Lifestyle Network fare as much as the next guy. Overall, apart from the Kennedy tribute, didn't the crowd's stage-managed enthusiasm seem a bit lukewarm?
The Irish Elk actually found the speech by Rep. Leach, the longtime Ripon Society stalwart, to be the most thoughtful and interesting of the night (even if the former congressman does sound like Kermit THE Frog). Wonder why he chose to jump the GOP ship at this point, as McCain would appear to be his sort of candidate?
Caroline Kennedy is no orator, and she may prefer a relatively private lifestyle to a public one, but if she were to move to Massachusetts to run for Teddy's Senate seat she'd win in a walk.
Jimmy Carter, it bears noting, was the Worst President Ever.
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