My cleaning lady missed it so I just showed her Bill Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic Convention. I liked it more the second time, though I still don't quite understand one line…
Tonight my friends, I ask you to join me for the next 100 days in telling John Kerry's story and promoting his plans. Let every person in this hall and all across America say to him what he has always said to America: Send Me.
Doesn't that passage contain a little of what that eminent authority, Daffy Duck, once described as Pronoun Trouble? I think what the former president meant to say was more like this…
Tonight my friends, I ask you to join me for the next 100 days in telling John Kerry's story and promoting his plans. Let every person in this hall and all across America take him up on his generous and brave offer, "Send Me!"
But despite that, I liked the speech more this time. And it struck me for months now, we've been hearing that Hillary had this secret plan to swoop down and snatch the presidential nomination (and later, the vice-presidential nomination) or that she and Bill were plotting to sabotage Kerry so that he wouldn't be running for a second term in '08 when she plans to run for president. One reader of this weblog has sent me dozens of Hillary-related conspiracy theories…and I don't see any evidence that any of these alleged plans were ever put into play.
I hope the Democrats send Bill Clinton out to give as many speeches for Kerry as he has in him. He's a much more interesting speaker than anyone else we're likely to hear in this election. Even Bush supporters seem to be urging everyone to look past their guy's obvious discomfort with the English language. Earlier on MSNBC, I heard someone try to spin that as a positive, the idea being that his inability to give a polished speech proves that he's a "regular guy." I don't fault anyone for being born into wealth and privilege — this year, I'll probably vote for someone who was — but let's not get any more ridiculous than absolutely necessary.
(Here's a link to the text of Clinton's speech and a non-C-Span video version.)