I went and saw him speak in Tacoma back in the day. He was actually very captivating, but I think his rhetorical style is just lost in the media frenzy.

Meh.

Baking cakes from scratch and listening to the Democratic Convention on NPR-- good lord, the Gay Lifestyle is exactly like the preacher warned us.

I don't know. Honestly, I still felt a little charisma deficit there. Some people just can't do "powerful." When they try, the just end up sounding shrill. Kerry was one, Gore was another. It's one of the things I like about Obama. When he says "no," you hear, "no," rather than, "evidence suggests the course of action proposed by my opponent will, on balance, produce a profoundly negative outcome." There are even situations where I prefer the nerdy "no," but it's not a great trait in a president.

I've been moved to tears enough tonight, I'mma have to save this one for tomorrow

The French have a saying they call the "Moment on the stairs" when you realize the thing you should have said after you have left.
Kerry's had four years on the stairs.

Indeed. I think Kerry's problem in '04 will be Obama's problem in '08: not enough fire in the belly. Whenever I hear Obama go "uuh" every three words I cringe because every time he pauses loses momentum. When he made his "surprise" address you could hear the audience wither in each time he paused to finish a thought. He's thinking too much when he shouldn't have to. Lets hope he takes some notes from Kerry before the debates.

@6, Spirit d'escalier...poor dead Theresa Duncan...

Hmm -- did he get a spine implant? I don't recall him aggressively saying his war protesting his protesting the Vietnam war was the right thing to do or saying that Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The courage of one's convictions is a beautiful thing.

*@5.

Fuck.

Dan, did you hit the wine while you were cooking?

Believe it or not, Charles Shultz once used the phrase "l'ésprit d'escalier" in a Peanuts cartoon...quoted by Lucy. Christ, we've dumbed down a load since then.

That's a great speech?!

He's, what, the third speaker in a row to make the McCain = Bush "slip"? He repeats that ridiculous most-important-election-of-all-time hyperbole -- anyone who says that should be banned from saying it again in his lifetime. His calling out McCain's pandering and weaseling is fair and accurate, but that just reminds me of how all politicians, including Obama, do those same things. About the most I can say is that he makes a few more substansive points than the other speakers, but that's a pretty low bar to clear.

It was a great speech, but he rushed the delivery a little too much.

Bill Clinton continues to be the speech-master. Damn that man knows how to work a crowd.

I'm with Dan. I thought Kerry did a fantastic job. Very well delivered and strong.

Not as good as Bubba, but much better than Biden.

A better speech than just about anything he said 4 years ago. What is it about these democrats that dumbs them down during the campaign, but makes them flourish years later? Gore did the same thing. I don't get it.

@14, I'm with you and Dan. I was out in the field with my co-worker (we're political organizers for a union) and we heard that Kerry was coming up and decided to turn it off. We didn't want to go back to 2004. Where was this man in 2004? Bummer, but I'm glad I viewed this and I give props to Kerry.

Hey, YouTube is banned here in Turkey, is there another way I can watch the speech? Anyone? I'm legal counsel for Democrats Abroad here and we're having a really hard time getting all the speeches, the major ones are on the network sites but I can't find Kerry's speech anywhere. With the time difference and limited english news channels here we're having a hard time getting good coverage. I'm trying to put together daily digests for our membership. Any ideas?

As we get closer to the election is anyone else other than me thinking we probably should have kidnapped Al Gore and just forced him to run, even against his will? Maybe we should have just put his name on the ballot in all 50 states for the primaries and caucuses and just nominated him?

My gut is telling me us Democrats are yet again going to get our asses handed to us again this year. I can't shake the feeling that 2012 was Gore's year to run......

Damn damn damn.....

@18 Yes, the Democrats are going to lose again, just like in 2006.

Oh, wait...

Morgan-the text version is on the convention website right now. If that doesn't work... soprano42@gmail.com. E-mail me and I'll send it to you myself.

so......Froma Harrop today:

"The Democrats clearly have a hooligan problem. It was as though their left-wingers suffered a kind of Karl Rove envy. They wanted to go on the attack, demonize a Clinton and hurl abuse at the Clinton's friends. ...it apparently did not dawn on the Obama shock troops that they were offending the very people their man might someday need."
###
Fortunately, now that the Obama folks have seen the Clintons support Obama, say he's ready to be pres, and tell their supporters to support him, too, there will be no more hooliganish hatred and vitriol spewed forth at any one just because they supported Clinton.

There will be no more false accusations that Clinton = Bush, or that Clinton is too dodgy always moving to the center; or that her past associations make her uniquely vulnerable to negative attacks over past baggage.

From now on, I am confident, the Obama folks will say to themselves, "wow, those Clintons can give a good speech for Obama. Even though they must be disappointed. Hey they include a former president who did good on the economy and a woman who's got quite a following, including segments Obama lags with.
I hope he asks them to go on tour in Scranton and Youngstown. Hey Clintons: thank you for your support!"

Go ahead -- speak up: Do the Obama folks want Bill and Hillary to go on tour for Obama??

Unity, y'all,

@17

Morgan! Here, try this.

The Jew and I will be out there shortly. I pwomises.

Excuse me, but where the FUCK did this guy come from? Since when did JOHN KERRY grow a personality and a sense of humor?

So THIS is the guy for whom I cast my first vote for the presidency. I rather love him again.

I am convinced. If he had given a variant of this speech four years ago, he would have fucking won.

Here's to hoping he's the next Ted Kennedy.

Poe,

Istanbul is expecting you sooner than later.

M

And thank you so much J and Por for your help.

Liberals, sloggers and other commentators have failed to understand the central point of this post.

How did the cake turn out? I find that frozen blueberries give off so much water in them that they get real soggy in a cake, fresh berries are so much better. Are your berries plump and juicy?

@12,

McCain is making the idiotic decision to hitch his wagon to a president that most of the country despises. If he gets taken to task for it, too fucking bad. The man should be smarter than that and, if he isn't, he deserves to lose.