Today, wallowed in the worst slump of his presidency, President Obama should reach for some words that will outlive him. This guy can write and he can speak, but he’s put those talents in a drawer for much of his presidency. In just the last few weeks, though, Obama has shown that his lyrical gifts could still get him off a road leading to yet another mediocre presidency.
His speech on income inequality as the defining issue of the day, and the stirring words in the rain on behalf of Nelson Mandela (overshadowed by press obsession with the selfie in the stadium), showed what Obama can do when he’s oratorically unleashed.
As a 19 year old, Obama wrote respectable poetry, published in his college literary magazine. As a politician running for Senate, and then the presidency, he showed a masterful way with words. I like to think it’s the Irish in him, and indeed no failed revolution, no call to arms, no funeral passed in Ireland without a poet making larger meaning of it all.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member