Obama Should Be Heard, And Not Read

Check out Barack's beat poetry from the first few lines of his new ad:

We are in a defining moment for our history

Our nation is at war

The planet is in peril

The dream that so many generations fought for

feels as though it is slowly slipping away

Now, coming from Winston Churchill, this would sound, well, Churchillian. Coming from Barack Obama, it just sounds silly. Or should I say it reads silly. He really is a master of execution when it comes to a rhetorical flourish, I'll give him that, and so when you hear him say these lines they sound like they mean something. Examining it closer in print however shows just how empty the words are.

First of all, the nation is constantly at a 'defining moment' in its history. This is a tautology and a cliche, tantamount to saying "henceforth, all future judgments about our country will be based upon what happens between now and then." Q.E.D.

Next, what is this 'peril' Obama is speaking of? It reminds me of MIB:

There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they Do... Not... Know about it!

There is always a bird flu, a global warming, or wandering asteroid just on the cusp of destroying us. Yet Obama speaks as if there is some unique, unprecedented peril we are now facing, and I need to know what it is. Come on Barack, don't hold out on us. I can handle the Truth.

Finally, what is this dream that is slowly slipping away? Why, you know the answer: fill in the blank. With anything you want. Like so much of what Barack Obama is about.