DIYbanter - View Single Post

aemeijers

wrote:
On Feb 27, 11:00 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 2/27/2009 7:26 PM DGDevin spake thus:

HeyBub wrote:
These pictures of three recent presidents as they help around the
house:
Two of whom were able to speak in complete sentences....
... although one of those two could only do so when said sentences were
in the script ...

Typical liberal lunacy, completely at odds with the truth. Anyone
that knows even a bit about Ronald Reagan knows of the extensive
articles, op ed pieces, and speeches he wrote himself for decades
before he ever became president. The Regan library is chock full of
them in his own handwriting. And his ability to contemporaneously
deliver speeches, without benefit of a teleprompter or written speech,
was legendary. A classic example was at the 1976 GOP convention.
Gerald Ford had defeated Reagan for the nomination. After he accepted
the nomination, he decided on the spur of the moment to wave to Reagan
and beckon him to come down to the podium. Reagan, reluctant at
first, finally did and delivered an unprepared speech, that to the
chagrin of Ford, resulted in a greater standing ovation than the
president himself had received. At that moment, most of those at the
convention knew they had nominated the wrong man.

Perhaps he still had it in '76. But by about year 3 of his first term,
it was slipping away. By the end of his second term, several years
before he publicly announced his Alzheimer's, he was very dependent on
scripts and teleprompters. I'm not saying that as a slam- gotta give the
man credit for being a hell of a public speaker, with great stage
presence, right up until the end, almost. But that was technique and
craft from all those years as an actor. POTUS is a high-stress job- it
takes a toll on a young strong man (or woman, one of these days.) Reagan
was old when he went in.

--
aem sends...