Some of my observations:
1. I heard nothing new tonight. I’ve heard all of this in his campaign stump speeches.
2. He was too angry tonight, on the verge of screaming at points.
3. The ending was like a funeral, including the music. A far cry from “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow” in 1992. Obama hardly smiled even after it was over. In fact, my wife said he looks like he’s lost and is saying his goodbye. The crowd didn’t know what to do. They just stood there seeming to say, “Hey, we’re ready to party. Where are you going?”
4. This was a perfect prescription for a nanny state.
5. Hellooo, Barack, you can’t keep guns out of the hands of criminals. You can only do that with law-abiding citizens.
6. Juan Williams called it “unsatisfying.” I think that’s generous.
7. As it happens, this could as easily been given in a big hall. TV closeups, which were most of the shots, eliminate the huge crowd factor.
8. Bill Kristol says he exceeded expectations. Sometimes I wonder about Kristol’s judgment.
9. Mystery of the night: Why did the cameras show Matthew Modine so much?
