Speech Reax

Matthew Yglesias: [I]n the Platonic realm of Words it was a good speech, and probably did for Bush about as much as any speech could.

Andrew Sullivan: It was the second best speech I have ever heard George W. Bush give - intelligently packaged, deftly structured, strong and yet also revealing of the president's obviously big heart...But conservatism as we have known it is now over. People like me who became conservatives because of the appeal of smaller government and more domestic freedom are now marginalized in a big-government party, bent on using the power of the state to direct people's lives, give them meaning and protect them from all dangers...Bush's astonishing achievement is to make the case for all this new spending, at a time of chronic debt (created in large part by his profligate party), while pegging his opponent as the "tax-and-spend" candidate. The chutzpah is amazing. At this point, however, it isn't just chutzpah. It's deception. To propose all this knowing full well that we cannot even begin to afford it is irresponsible in the deepest degree.

Ezra Klein: In two days, no one will remember this speech. I give it a resounding "Eh".

William Saletan: For $2.4 trillion, guess what word—other than "a," "and," and "the"—occurs most frequently in the acceptance speech George W. Bush delivered tonight. The word is "will." It appears 76 times. This was a speech all about what Bush will do, and what will happen, if he becomes president...My favorite moment was when Bush touted the No Child Left Behind Act. No more social promotion, he promised. "We are transforming our schools by raising standards and focusing on results. We are insisting on accountability."...Wasn't this speech, full of unfulfilled promises and appeals to good character, basically a plea for social promotion? Isn't that the message of the entire Bush campaign? Shouldn't the president have to show results, too?

Jesse Walker: John Kerry is such a Massachusetts liberal, even George Bush, the least thrifty president since Lyndon Johnson, thinks he's a big spender. Now that's a damning attack.

Kevin Drum: His delivery seemed better than usual (though awfully slow and over-deliberate) and his normal smirk was gone (though replaced only by a slightly more palatable one), so I guess that puts it in the better than average category.