Here in Dallas this afternoon, I went to

hear the president speak to the Knights of Columbus convention at the hotel

next door. Judging by the wild response he received, he’s got those

Catholics’ vote. This was very much a shoring-up-the-base appearance. I’ve

rarely covered campaign speeches, so I don’t know if this is how they

usually are. If so, the level of oratory in this country is

abysmal. The President threw applause lines at the extremely supportive

audience like doubloons tossed from a Mardi Gras float. I happen to have

agreed with almost everything he said, but it was still dispiriting to see a

“speech” reduced to reciting a laundry list of compassionate-conservative

boilerplate. The theme, insofar as it had one was, “Here’s what I’ve done

for you lately.” Maybe folks are satisfied with that, I dunno. If the goal

was to strike a responsive chord in the audience, he succeeded. But I wanted

to hear an actual speech — you know, with a start, middle and finish,

arguing for a point of view.