@Diest TKO,
Wow, that was awesome.
Like the man said, that's an occasion to be proud to be American for you guys there. Just the other night, these two men were biting each other's head off, it's all out battle. And yet they're able to take a step back and gather as colleagues. To express respect and even exchange gentle jokes in friendly spirit. That says something really good about your political system.
Yes, there's a gnawing unease at the back of my mind at the sight of all these top honchos, who otherwise put on a fighting show for us, but in the end are all good old boy chaps with each other at luxury parties ... that kind of feeling. But as far as that's off-putting, it's made up by far by the fact that, even when rhetorics are harsh, you have opposing political leaders there who can take a break from it all and meet in a friendly spirit, be civil to each other, sincerely respectful even, and who can mock themselves a bit while they're at it too. Those are real virtues.
I think Dutch politicians would be able to do that too. Hungarian ones tho, I dunno!
They were pretty funny jokes too. I expect they didnt write them (with Obama this was pretty obvious), but they delivered them with flair.
I gotta say McCain "won" the comparison though, easily -- and you know what I think of his politics. His jokes were funnier. The ones about Clinton rocked!
Also his ending, toyingly playing up the expectations, well played. And he delivered them better, as if they were his own and in a running ongoing manner - rather than, like Obama, looking down, telling a joke, looking down, telling another joke, etc.
Moreover, and especially - even as I think that McCain's campaign has gone fully off the rails and taken on a real ugly face, he was the best of himself here. His words about Obama were extremely gracious. Especially considering his conservative backers (if that's the right word) are blaming him for being too soft on Obama, and here he just shrugs off all of that campaign stuff and speaks these very respectful, dignified words.
I mean, imagine you're in a mindnumbing, exhausting campaign for that one single thing you've wanted most of all ever in your life, and here's this younger guy busily, let's be honest, trashing your chances - how would you react, how would you feel? I'd be so bitter I'd want to throw all the silverware on those tables at the guy. But he didnt just stay polite, he went above and beyond the duty, sort of, in praising him that way.
I couldnt help feeling like it was almost as if he was speaking to his more militant supporters, the ones telling him at rallies that they are afraid of what Obama will do to the country - as if he wanted to allay and still their worst fears about an Obama presidency, in advance. Or as if he was saying the things he'd like to tell them. And that's so against basic campaign tactics, especially considering that fear of Obama is pretty much all his campaign is running on now. But it's good for the country, to have the rival presidents make clear that they respect their opponent, that their opponent is a worthy man -- and that he did that so unreservedly, yeah -- respect.
