Watch Barack's 2004 Keynote speech from the Democratic Convention, and you will agree with me: Obama in 2008 is bored with his stump speech. http://www.youtube.com/...
In Saturday's Biden introduction, Obama was great, but, in comparison to Biden, flat. He's not invested in his talking points any more. http://www.youtube.com/...
Look at '04's Barack, he's happy, there's a spring in his step, his hand gestures have authenticity and purpose. Throughout the speech in which he keynotes the nomination of John Kerry, he's got zip, pizzazz. He can't wait to get to the next line in the speech, because he's got ideas to punch and oratory to ride.
Now watch the Biden introduction. Don't you agree he seems bored with the process, bored with current intellectual level he's addressing in his speeches.
This is why I'm fearing for the Invesco Field speech. Unless he's got a new level to bring to the speech, new topics, new focus, new meaning, he's not going to give a speech worthy of an audience of 50,000.
It's been said that the Republican 2004 convention was 4 days of tearing apart John Kerry's flesh. It's probably necessary that the 2008 Democratic convention do the same to Bush/McCain. (Hell, it'll be even more relevant if McCain ends up picking Jeb Bush for v.p.)
Yet, even if the entire Democratic convention is a flaying, the Invesco speech cannot do this. Obama is not that kind of speaker, not that kind of person.
At least, we haven't yet seen the side of Obama that can annihilate McCain and the Republicans in advance of their convention. Obama hasn't yet shown us the Barack that can attack. Every attorney has that attacker in him. But it's got to genuinely flow from the person we know him to be. John F. Kennedy's 1960 convention speech aimed at the Russian commies, and showed us Kennedy would fight for us. Obama's 2004 speech showed a willingness to military action. This is probably an essential benchmark in any presidential speech.
If Obama's not going to change the subject at Invesco, I don't know how he can deliver the speech without sounding bored with himself. And it's a very inauspicious start if he ends up boring 50,000 people.