I don’t care how unorthodox Eastwood’s speech was, it was right on! Part of the brilliance of it was his ability to speak out against the Afghan war and against Guantanamo, and receive a hearty applause from the crowd. His style was so non-threatening that it actually provided a moment of rare sobriety in a room filled with hawks. Further, Eastwood pointed out that Obama failed to deliver what he promised. The empty chair was just another demonstration that Obama’s words are just as absent as his presence.
And for those who think the 82 year old actor is just senile, think again. He knew exactly what he was doing, as the New York Times observes:
He said he was aware that his approach was unusual, but argued it was in keeping with the way he gave speeches as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
“They’ve got this crazy actor who’s 82 years old up there in a suit,” he said. “I was a mayor, and they’re probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks.”
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