Bill Clinton brilliantly being Clintonian

Years from now speechmaking will be judged by an adjective derived from an eponym:  Clintonian.  It will be measured by the speaker's ability to connect  one-to-one with a huge audience;  by words  reinforced by the waving hands of a symphony conductor;  by a slight down-home clipped tempo;  by pixie-like humor; by an astonishing  recall of numbers; by an avalanche of facts delivered virtually  as casual conversation; and, finally, by length - which could be compellingly sustained by all of the above.

On Wednesday night at the Democratic convention, that  described former President Bill Clinton, who, as people have come to expect from him, was  being Clintonian at its best.  As the   clearly impressed  Republican strategist Steve Schmidt said afterward: "I wish our side had somebody like that."

In nominating President Obama, Clinton's oration made his  case for  Obama by wading through the complexities of issues like health care, taxation , welfare and others with the brilliance lacking in most active politicians today.  That will be the long-term  definition of Clintonian - a speaker in full command of an enthralled audience.  Folks, who else could have gotten so  much mileage from  a simple household word - arithmetic?




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