Obama the Eloquent

America is stuck on remembering 9/11 just now and both written and filmed accounts have taken possession of the media. This typical habit of overkill needs review along with its flaunting hyperbole and nauseous repetition. Concurrently, a massive hunt is going on for some mystery terrorists who reputedly  intent to celebrate the 9/11 anniversary their own way.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our governor has just leased an enormous DC10 that was converted to a tanker capable of dousing some 12,000 US gallons of water and retardants on our prairie fires at a single go. It is bloody unlikely that we will get any help from mother nature in the form of precipitation, so we need to take drastic measures, including cloud seeding. Thus far, no success possible due to a lack of clouds.

Obama delivered another rhetorical masterpiece this week at an address to both Houses in which he introduced his newly concocted American Jobs Act. On such occasions, the Vice President and Speaker of the House are seated directly behind the President. It was one of those speeches in which the audience feels compelled to applaud after every third sentence and in this instance also stand up when doing so.

The division between our two parties was fully documented by the reactions of VP Biden and Speaker Boehner. Biden must have overheated hands as he bobbed up and down clapping wildly with a huge smile across his face. In contrast, Boehner sat mostly still looking grumpy and somewhat tentative. I could not determine if his reactions were genuinely inspired by policy differences, or by Boehner's fear that his applause may not be taken kindly by Congressional Conservatives and Tea Party members.

I dare say our prairie fires and tenacious drought will be ancient history by the time anything is legislated by way of the Jobs Act. Congress remains moribund. The slightest sign of compromise by a Senator or Representative is immediately punished by party whips, caucus leaders and members of extreme coalitions. More than once, poor John Boehner has been flogged into line by the Tea Party.

Even O's enemies concede he is a gifted orator. I would also render tribute to his speech writers. I believe the constant criticism about his using teleprompters is more indicative of envy than anything else. O's timing, seamless delivery, tone and body language combine to make him an effective figure. The opposition cannot abide such presence and works extremely hard to discredit everything about him.