I dunno. Obama's speeches seem to be of a piece with his writings. The man we see in Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope is a pretty thoughtful guy, and very impatient with both political posturing (and partisanship) and Democratic pandering.

That's why I wasn't surprised with the decent tone of his Memorial Day speech. It was consistent with what he's said he believes all along.

I agree that pretty speeches don't a statesman make, but in a race of this kind, what's wrong with listening to the guy (or gal) who's at least smart enough to say the right things?