The Speech of Her Life

Hmmm...it seems I was incorrect.

Yesterday, I was somewhat dismissive of Hillary Clinton's concession speech.  I found it to be an awkward bit of public masturbation.  I felt that it highlighted almost every reason why Hillary Clinton suffered from such a likability deficit when compared to Barack Obama.

But, I'm just a blogger and what do I know?

For the real story, let's turn to a trusted member of the Fourth Estate.  Bob Schieffer apparently took some time off from complaining about Katie Couric and announced that Hillary had given -- wait for it -- "the speech of her life!" 

If that was the speech of Hillary Clinton's life, perhaps it explains why the plug has been pulled on her campaign. 

Schieffer feels that the result of Hillary's campaign will be that it will no longer be a big deal when a woman run for President. 

(Though one imagines that it will continue to be a big deal whenever one anchors a nightly newscast...)

Schieffer credited Hillary for not running "to be the first woman president" but instead simply being "a woman running for President."

Uhmm, Bob -- did you actually pay attention to Hillary's primary campaign?  Along with lies about bringing peace to Northern Ireland and coming under sniper fire in Bosnia, Hillary's gender was the centerpiece of her campaign.  Every time she felt Obama sneaking up on her, Hillary played the gender card.  While Obama rarely brought up the historical significance of his campaign, Hillary never missed a chance to point out that she would be the first female President. 

To me, that says a lot about why Obama succeeded where Hillary failed.  Most voters don't vote because they want to make history.  They vote because they want a President that they can believe in.  I'm not an Obama supporter but I can't deny the enthusiasm that he sparked (and continues to spark) in his supporters.

Bob Schieffer's comments almost seem to be coming at us from another decade, don't they?  It's hard sometimes to escape the feeling that the venerated old men of the mainstream media haven't had any new thoughts since 1977.

Then again, any time a politician finally withdraws after dragging their supporters through the mud, they are usually credited with giving the "speech of his or her life."  Remember the collective swoon when Al Gore finally conceded in 2001?  And it's not just a partisan thing, either.  When Richard Nixon finally resigned the presidency in 1974, Dan Rather was there to inform Walter Cronkite that Nixon had just given "the speech of his life."

I imagine that if Hitler hadn't committed suicide, his last words before being hanged at Nuremberg would have been declared "the speech of his life" by Edward R. Murrow.

The mainstream media needs to invest in some new cliches if it's going to keep up in the Internet age.