John Kerry's concession speech sounded to me like every other concession speech given by anyone who loses an election, regardless of the situation. I don't think I want to ever see a candidate come out and yell, "The voters are idiots," but there are other things that could be said in what should be a moment of candor, not political niceties. I didn't catch the Alan Keyes concession speech — if, indeed, he's even given one — but I have a hunch he didn't talk of linking arms and working together with people he thinks are destroying America.
My friend Shelly Goldstein phoned me just before the speech and said, "No matter what he says, everyone will say it was his finest moment and "Why couldn't he have spoken like that during the campaign?" Given the few moments of post-concession analysis I caught on MSNBC, I'd say she was right. But really, it was the same Kerry and the same speech everyone else gives.
One other thought I had during Kerry's speech: I'm sick of people talking about fighting for me. No one who ever promised to "fight for me" has ever won anything for me and some have done me damage. What I want is a guy who'll promise to fight people who want to fight for me. And then I'll probably have to get someone to fight the guy who's fighting the guy who's fighting for me. And then…