Clint Eastwood's Speech at the RNC

I heard everyone buzzing about Clint Eastwood's speech at the RNC last night. I didn't see it live because I was watching the Gamecocks win their first game of the 2012 campaign. (As a sidebar, quit complaining, you Gamecock fans. You know who wishes they could have an ugly win? The team who lost). But I digress....However, I've had a chance to watch the speech now. Here it is in it's entirety.

 

The thing is, all the Democratic folks were telling me how crazy Eastwood sounded, with some chair, and an imaginary Obama. I went into the speech with expectations that Eastwood was going to start stammering like a crazy person and go off the rails. Also, did anyone think of the cartoon, "Doonesbury" who has used invisible Presidents and Vice Presidents for years? That was the first thing I thought of.

Having watched Eastwood's speech (a few times) it's clear that Eastwood is an old guy. He rambles a little, as old folks do, and he takes a little longer (maybe a half second or so) to get a line or word out than normal. I found myself waiting for him to just lose the thread when I watched it the first time, but he really doesn't do that poorly in the delivery. It's not a great oration, but he's 82 years old. I don't know any 82 year old folks who don't take a little longer to get a word out than they used to - and they're plenty sharp. Age just has a way of slowing you down.

But the first time I watched it, I was hanging on every word...wondering...where is he...going...with this?

See what I mean?

But watching it the second time, I realized that he's got some zingers lined up. The line about Biden was good. The part about Air Force One and being "ecological" was funny. And Eastwood does the whole thing in his deadpan, dry tone. When you look at the actual substance, it's pretty cutting. It's a solid speech. Not delivered in soaring oration, but solid.

All the Democrats who want to push this speech as a huge failure (and keep running clips of it) might want to think twice. It's pretty biting stuff. I wouldn't want to keep pushing those words out there, slowly delivered or not, if I was advocating to re-elect the President.

I predict this isn't the last we're going to see of the "empty chair".
What did you think?