John Kerry is the kindest,bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
Tonight I watched the greatest presidential nomination acceptance speech ever. It was quite rousing. Some of the best stuff: "Nor would I ask of any fellow American in defense of his freedom--that which I would not gladly give myself — my life before my liberty!"
Of course, that's all the further Benjamin K Arthur got with his speech before the shooting started.
This may have been the most rousing acceptance speech ever. I was pleased that the delightful Keys Cinemas in Indianapolis have performed the public service of showing the classic original 1962 Manchurian Candidate on the big screen. Sweet.
Of course, the big speech was Angela Lansbury's talk with her son Raymond minutes earlier, climaxing with "when I take power, they will be pulled down and ground into dirt for what they did to you. And what they did in so contemptuously underestimating me." You really need to see her face on the big screen, the quiet intensity of her face blown up ten feet tall. Holy jumpin' Jebus!
Then I watched John Kerry's acceptance speech at the Democrat convention. Needless to say it was a letdown, but then I wasn't expecting much. Basic meaningless boilerplate delivered about half-convincingly, although I couldn't pick up what his Iraq policy was for today. Damn, but that was some trite boring crap that people are busy trying to talk themselves into liking.
What I'd really like, though, is to hear the speech that Eleanor Iselin (Lansbury) referred to in that same last speech. After Raymond shoots Arthur, the presidential nominee, then her husband and vice-presidential nominee Senator Johnny Iselin was supposed to deliver this "impromptu" speech that she describes.
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Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
oh fer godsdakesss....i still haven't seen this movie! heck, i even own a vhs copy.
2 - Eric Olsen
I think Kerry did a better job than you give him credit for: I now know who he is, have some sense of his personality, he spoke energetically and engagingly, and he certainly allayed the fears of many about his commitment to national defense.
3 - Rodney Welch
Jhn Kerry smacked it out of the ballpark; Al's just off in Fantasyland again, typically misinterpreting one more classic movie for his own ends.
The wonderfully inspired notion behind The Manchurian Candidate was that McCarthyism was a Communist front; one enemy of freedom being more or less suited to another.
Al wishes to hear the speech Angela Lansbury referred to, about "rallying a nation of television viewers to hysteria, to sweep us up into the White House with powers that will make martial law seem like anarchy." Reading the Patriot Act or tuning into the latest comments by John Ashcroft would probably have the same dramatic effect.
4 - JR
John Kerry is the Manchurian Candidate? Clever attempt at a smear; but it was John McCain who was actually captured in Vietnam. And everybody's been trying to get him on one of the tickets (for either party) as VP candidate. Hmmm...
5 - Al Barger
Really, lighten up. I was hardly making any big "smear" of Kerry here. Calling his speech boring boilerplate doesn't make for much of hatchet job. Y'all know I could be much harder.
I don't particularly expect much better from the Republicans - though Bush has had an occasional moment as a public speaker.
And JR, I've run the Manchurian stuff on McCain. If anything, I like McCain less than Kerry - though it's slim picking between them.
6 - JR
I meant that to be taken lightly.
If anything, I probably I prefer McCain over Kerry; especially after your endorsement, Al. ;-)