Personally Penning the Speech of His Life

[papau]

July 29, 2004
Personally Penning the Speech of His Life


By Matea Gold and Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writers


BOSTON — He began in earnest a month ago, recording his thoughts in elegant longhand on legal-sized paper he kept bundled in a manila folder.

During early mornings in his hotel rooms or late nights on his plane, Sen. John F. Kerry mused about Revolutionary War history and the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. He reread letters his father wrote to his mother over the years, and his own political speeches.

By Wednesday, when he returned to his Beacon Hill townhouse after a five-day tour of the country, the Democratic presidential hopeful had essentially finished the speech he hopes will define him to a nation — minus a few last-minute tweaks.

Advisors say the Massachusetts senator will deliver an acceptance address at tonight's close of the Democratic National Convention that will give Americans a fuller sense of his aspirations for the country, laying out concrete plans about jobs, energy, healthcare and the nation's security.

Above all, Kerry's speech will have been personal — not only in its content but in its creation.<snip>


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-speech29jul29.story

[GreenArrow]

1. good

I have a lot more respect for public figures who write their own speeches, unlike Ronald Reagan, for example, who was just an actor delivering his lines. How many of the famous quips and quotes attributed to him are actually his own? Very few, I'd wager.

[ignatius 2]

2. Agreed, and one who doesn't have to be "fed" through an ear

piece. What a fantastic event it will be when we have 2 people who can speak in complete, comple sentences and actually know what the hell they are talking about. It is way past time to send both Chimpy and his snaggletoothed partner is crime to an undisclosed location. I a perfect world that location would be Gitmo!!

[Journeyman]

9. In a "better" world, there wouldn't be a "Gitmo". . .

and all criminals would be handled as they should be: within the established judicial order, in accord with the Constitution.

[HuckleB]

3. One more big difference between Kerry and Bush!

:)

[faithnotgreed]

4. anyone know how long his speech will be (time slotted?)

i hope we get to really hear from him.

[Gin]

5. hes on at 10:00 and I heard its 55 minutes.

g

[goclark]

6. Is 55 mins. long for an acceptance speech?

I love Kerry but I hope they give him a few uppers for the speech.
The whores will be all over him if not.

[mark414]

7. any person addressing america

should use their own words to do so, i don't care who you are, left, right, center, out of this world. presidents, political leaders, etc. should write their own fucking speeches.

[shockingelk]

8. I hope he apologizes for WMD claims

He should say he accepts accountability for the claims he made about WMD. That America needs to be confident it's leadership. Even if Kerry feels he was mislead, which he certainly does, he should then apologize for allowing himself to be mislead.

I believe an "I was wrong on that" from Kerry would score points with most Americans. It will show he holds himself accountable. It will also force Bush to make a choice: do the same thing, which would be damaging for those still trying to believe this is an honest administration - or choose not to, which would make a nice contrast between him and an incumbant who shuns accountability.

[Tellurian]

10. Whatever, he did... he was a HIT!

America turned the corner tonight!

They found out just how humble John Kerry is...ALL Fact and NO brag..