Obama the Roman Orator

Posted by Theo Blackwell at Wed, 26/11/2008 - 1:06pm in

Did Barack Obama bring the dead language of rhetoric back to life again in American politics, as Charlotte Higgins argues in today's Guardian?  The New Yorker also waxes lyrical.

Given the recent memory of George Bush, ultimately a politically effective but not a noted orator, it is easy to neglect Presidents who were successful in capturing the nation's mood in recent years.

For my money Clinton had much about him, witness his State of the Union speech in 1995 post-Oklahoma and the shutting down of Federal government by the Republicans.

But few beat Reagan - here speaking about the Challenger disaster - who was a Hollywood actor and accomplished speechmaker for General Electric before a politician.

Tagged with: Ronald Reagan, Rhetoric, Historic speeches, George Bush, Bill Clinton