Reason Magazine

Site Search

You Know What Leeches Do, Right?

They suck the blood out of things. And Jim Leach just dived into Barack Obama's neck, fangs-a-flashing, and drained the energy out of the evening. Must we be submitted to the cross-party speech in every convention now? Is that what Zell Miller has wrought?
Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
Send this article to:

« Leftists for Barr | Main | Carville on Convention So Far:… »

Comments to "You Know What Leeches Do, Right?":

SIV | August 25, 2008, 10:29pm | #

Zell Miller brought the house down with one of the best speeches I've ever heard, including recordings of historical speeches.The GOP made him tone it waaay down from what he planned to say.

You can't expect that from most Party-crossing Pols. I missed Leach, is Lincoln Chafee gonna give one too?

NotThatDavid | August 25, 2008, 10:29pm | #

We can only hope that Joe Lieberman's immense personal magnetism will be able to outdo him and save the RNC.

SIV | August 25, 2008, 10:46pm | #

Lieberman always sounds like the dad on Alf

Seth | August 25, 2008, 11:33pm | #

I couldn't help but think: "Is this Leach guy really just a Republican plant, there to make the Democrats look stupid and desperate enough to pick *any* disaffected Republican who would speak at their convention?" I was so bored.

Gene Berkman | August 26, 2008, 4:43pm | #

SIV - you are so right about Lieberman!

I like the idea of including a defecting leader of the other party as a speaker at your convention. And I even like some things about Jim Leach's record in Congress - his vote against the Iraq War, his vote against aid to the Contras etc. But it would be hard to find a more monotous speech at a political convention than the one he delivered last night. Sigh!