I was in New Hampshire last night for an Obama town hall meeting. It was a college gym packed with a couple of thousand people, very enthusiastic about seeing him. I appreciate Obama’s talents as a communicator very much, so I was shocked at how many um’s and uh’s were sprinkled throughout his extemporaneous remarks. At times it was painful to listen to. Maybe he was tired and, of course, we all say our share of um’s, but it really undermines a presidential candidate’s sense of authority, especially when he’s not giving very crisp, to-the-point answers to begin with. Could it be that Biden’s infamous compliment about Obama’s speaking ability is a bit of an over-statement, at least when he’s talking off-the-cuff?