Ratcheting Up the Rhetoric

Is it official yet? Are John McCain and Barack Obama the candidates for President of the U.S.? Senator McCain seems to think so. Last night, in his victory speech after the Wisconsin primary, he said that he may not be the youngest candidate, but he is the most experienced. Thus, he took on Senator Obama, ignoring the continued presence of Senator Clinton. But most striking was his stab at soaring rhetoric. He denounced the “eloquent but empty” calls of Obama. He derided war critics as taking a “holiday from history,” and called dictators like Fidel Castro “moral monsters.” Alleluia for alliteration! Nice catch phrases, but do they make a speech inspirational?

On the other hand, Obama took to the podium last night to give his victory speech after it was apparent that Clinton would not congratulate him during her concession. (A bit spiteful? Is that beneath him? I contend that public figures need to keep to high standard for class, which Obama generally does. See my posting, “Poise under Super Pressure.”) A commentator on MSNBC announced that his speech would be “impromptu.” Hardly. I heard him give essentially the same speech a few days ago at a rally.

So is McCain trying to rise to a standard set by his main competitor? Has Obama begun to run out of fresh phrases and resort to the oratorical equivalent of leftovers? Is Clinton still in the picture at all, or can she use her own skills to make a fresh case for herself? Keep watching. We are again reminded of the power of presentation, even in a Web 2.0 World.