I'm sure ya'll have some opinions. Here are mine, show me yours below.
Presidential - From a strictly leadership standpoint, this was Obama's finest hour as a President. The country needed to be told everything would be okay, and Obama delivered. He could have easily sidestepped the issue of political rhetoric, instead he dove in head first and chastised those who exploited this tragedy for political gain, in a classy, non-partisan fashion. And of course, the mini-eulogies for the departed were tastefully done. Unless you're a complete hater, it's impossible to walk away from this without thinking Obama was all of America's President tonight. Well done, sir.[1]
Weird Crowd - Like most of you, I was also a bit confused by the reaction of the crowd, and for that matter, the tenor of virtually every non-politician who spoke. From the student body president, to the native American who gave the invocation, to the college kids in the audience who shouted random things ("I love your husband!") at inappropriate times, something just didn't feel right. The official explanation of many in attendance was that the university (and apparently the families of the injured/deceased) didn't want a somber memorial service, but rather a celebration of life. Things got so jovial at one point, I wondered if there was an Arizona/UCLA game taking place on the other end of the gym. Of course, none of this is the President's fault, but I've already heard lots of Conservatives chiding him for the way the crowd reacted. Haters.
"Gabby Opened Her Eyes" - Admit it, you teared up a lil' bit. I did.
The Palin/Obama Contrast - I can't believe I'm even dignifying this thought, but many (even on the right) are saying that in contrast with Palin's me-me-me screed, Obama's speech looks MLK-ish by comparison. I think that's silly. One guy's the leader of the free world. That chick is just a self-serving nitwit. They don't belong in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence. And yeah, that was a self-contradiction. Yeah, and I meant to do that.
Political Discourse - Will change... for about a week. Then the usual suspects (who haven't already) will be right back to calling Obama a Socialist, and essentially spitting in Giffords' face. It's the nature of Washington, these people simply can't help themselves.
Question: What did you think of last night's speech?!?
[1] As a sidebar, Obama's approval rating is now back up to 53%, and that was prior to this tragedy.
