The Right Tone

Although the president's speech seemed "lackluster" to some and was surely subdued in the beginning, it may be that the adjectives "serious" and "resolute" describe the speech best. There cannot be any doubt at this point that we are on the brink of war, and the president conveyed that as much with his demeanor as with his words. He can be wonderfully transparent, not because he is stupid, as his critics might argue, but because he is honest. He seems to feel the weight of the war. He is not horribly burdened by it or depressed, and he roused us at the end; but he is a decent man, a "loving guy" to use his own words, who does not take war lightly. No critic should ever imply that he does after this speech. Altogether, he struck just the right tone.