Robert L. Porreca: No comparison

Regarding Gene Nichol’s March 20 Point of View on President Obama and his Selma speech: Once again Nichol is wrong. Nichol lauded the president, for his oratory and compared his speech marking the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery to that of Dr. Martin Luther King’s great speech on the Mall in Washington in 1963, the Gettysburg Address and Jefferson’s inaugural addresses.

Dr. King was probably the most persuasive and powerful American speaker of the 20th century. His speeches resonated, rang and thundered, providing an exciting and convincing voice to the movement. His metaphors were powerful and descriptive. His passion was palpable in his delivery. In comparison, Obama’s speeches are dry as stale bread and weak as watered beer. Yes, he’s a good speaker but in no way does he compare with the likes of King, Lincoln, and Jefferson.

Nichol’s practice is to exaggerate with Munchausian imagination whatever subject he writes about. He seems to believe that enough hot air enlarges those subjects to the proportions he wishes them to be. But Obama is not and never will be the equal of Dr. King in oratory or any other dimension.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Robert L. Porreca: No comparison."