#16 Carla – Yes, it did go on too long, and yes it was “weird,” although I can’t quite put my finger on what made it so weird. But something was off. Perhaps it’s my natural aversion to every word that ushers from his mouth, but it felt forced and fake. Sort of like “Okay, I’ll act like I totally support my own words, but I don’t. Not really.” It felt like an act.

I didn’t hear him mention President Bush by name, but the subtext was strongly “This is really all George Bush’s mess that I’m having to clean up once again!” George Bush’s ghost was brought out for a stern beating, and this is getting tiresome.

But for all his tough talk, you can see his heart is simply not in it. He’s doing what is expedient — perhaps what is expected. But there’s no leadership here.

I’ve heard presidents say they really dislike war when they’re sending out the troops, but until Obama, I’ve never heard a president say “I voted against this war” in a speech that’s supposed to rally the citizenry.