Cracking Obama’s code

Here’s a nice decoding of those cadences in Obama’s speeches.

“In his speeches, Obama pretends to be a hero out of Joseph Campbell. He talks about being on a journey that is about more than just hope and change. If you want to walk together down his American road, he wants you to be prepared for hard work. It’s never going to be easy. He warns his listeners to beware of the cynics and the they-say and they-said naysayers who believe the quest is hopeless.

Obama speeches aren’t all nonstop inspiration, mind you. Just as John McCain is stuck on addressing “my friends” in his speeches, Obama can’t resist starting a sentence with “now, I know” and loves to do battle with the nefarious “some who will.” But his genuine good humor, his bassoon-and-gravel voice, and a trust quotient that equals that of Walter Cronkite help him over those humps.“

And click through to a speech by Obama on Lincoln.  It’s short and sweet.