Eyes on the prize

[barondave]

John Walters and Sean G. Phillips among many
watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech
MoveOn.org party, William's Pub
Minneapolis, MN 8/28/08
Williams Pub is large and the crowd who came to watch and cheer the Democratic nominee for president did not pack the joint. Still, as Obama warmed up, so did everyone watching. An expectant and respectful silence (eg the standard dull roar of a bar) wafted through the first part of the speech, then applause and laughs as Obama hit the right notes.

The noise was too great for many interviews, but I did try for a few, including the two people in the foreground of this picture who are watching intently. I haven't listened to it yet, so can't say whether the background levels were too high. Everyone I talked to, whether recorded or in informal conversation, was really pleased with the speech.

I thought it was great. If Al Gore had given this speech in 2000, the World Trade Center would still be standing.

Comments

[aedifica]

I'm puzzled by your last line. Do you think the 9/11 attack was directed against Bush in particular?

[barondave.livejournal.com]

No, but if Gore had been in office, airline security would have been strengthened (one of Gore's strong recommendations) and the president wouldn't have ignored all the warnings. Bush really screwed up before, during and after 9/11. Whether some sort of attack would have happened is likely, but it would have either been caught (like the previous airline hijackings the Clinton administration stopped) or been vastly different.

No, I don't want to dredge the whole arguments again, but I'm not going to forget.

[aedifica]

Thanks. I didn't know (or didn't remember, one of the two) that Gore recommended strengthening airline security.