This text actually appears on the top of CNN’s homepage right now: “President Obama’s speech on the gulf oil disaster Tuesday night was written at a 10th-grade level, which, according to analysts, may have gone over the heads of many in his audience.” This is the associated article, which concludes:
At a micro level, the average word in the speech contained 4.5 letters, a bit longer than is typical for the former constitutional law professor, Payack said.
Obama’s nearly 10th-grade-level rating was the highest of any of his major speeches and well above the Grade 7.4 of his 2008 “Yes, we can” victory speech, which many consider his best effort, Payack said.
“The scores indicate that this was not Obama at his best, especially when attempting to make an emotional connection to the American people,” he added.