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On the other hand, having just seen Barack Obama deliver a masterpiece in all respects–style, structure, delivery, and strategy–it was bracing to feel the awesome power of great oratory. As someone who cares very deeply about the power of words across all media and who thinks in my darkest moments that the art of sustained, sophisticated prose is past us, watching and realizing that rhetoric qua rhetoric can change the course of history on its own, realizing this as it is happening, is a rare experience. The last couple minutes, beginning with his invocation of Martin Luther King, Jr., are breathtaking.
Bill Clinton could go there on occasion. George W. Bush, who was a good and underrated speech-giver (as distinct from speaker) back when he had the confidence of his team and the American public, before he himself burned out, could too.
P.S. One thing I should emphasize–a speech like Warner’s, provided it has a few good soundbites, is fine for most purposes, in that it gets a few bones out there for pundits to play with. But stirring an audience demands the craft, the attention to detail, the through-composed structure that Obama’s speech entailed. Politically it was quite sophisticated, as well–the defenses against McCain’s attacks doubled as attacks, the difference between gay marriage and civil unions was addressed while slyly if cynically elided, etc.
