Yep, tonight I watched the speeches from Obama, Clinton, and McCain, in that order. You can totally trust my analysis, too, because I once ran a campaign so I know what I’m talking about.

The main thing I caught from them is that Obama and McCain really believe what they say. Clinton sounds like a grade school teacher for some reason…I just can’t feel any sincerity there.

McCain pushed the war and terrorists, as well as getting our allies to fight with us. He also stressed that we can’t undo decisions made already (i.e., war in Iraq and Afghanistan) but definitely was for continuing them. Also, we are all his friends. I got that message loud and clear.

Clinton stressed that she was the one who would be ready to work and make decisions immediately without having to learn “on the job.” She of course pressed her “health care for everyone” as well. Clinton also kept mentioning that she would work hard and actually do things. Most of which was clearly aimed at Obama. The majority of the speech was thank-yous, however, and she was clearly happy to have finally won something (however little that truly helps, it helps her campaign morale considerably.)

Obama mentioned right off the bat that he has maintained the same lead in delegates and thanked Vermont. Then he led straight into his usual speech about breaking away from the mistakes of the past and having hope for change. He didn’t spend any time on Clinton, but instead talked about the issues that he cares about and the changes he wants to make. He also pointed out how desperate the country is things to change and for the overall direction of the country to change.

Alright, now for some personal observations. McCain is clearly a continuation of the same policies we currently have under Bush. Very, very pro-war and appealed considerably to patriotism and love for America. Which is fine, except we’ve been hearing that for so long I don’t know that it’s going to work this time.

Clinton just sounds so fake to me I can’t get past it. She sounds like a grade school teacher or something. I don’t know. Her reliance on her “experience” is dubious, as it seems more like a reliance on her husband’s experience. If that’s all it took, wouldn’t Bush, Jr. have been able to rely on his father’s experience to help him out? I don’t know. I also felt like Clinton was taking cheap shots at Bush and Obama. Maybe it’s because she knows that the odds are still against her. She is also relying heavily on people’s fond memories of Bill Clinton’s years as president, mentioning, in particular, that she knew how to get a country out of economic trouble. Her mention of “being able to make decisions immediately” actually scares me a little, because I would rather have someone who thinks things over and listens to advisers before making a decision. I know what she probably means is “I have experience! And Obama doesn’t!” but it does not strike me that way. It’s more like she knows what to do and doesn’t need help from anyone.

Obama is just so crazy. He even said some of the same things Clinton did, but he said them with so much more feeling and sincerity that I can’t help but believe him. Also, while Clinton mentioned a congratulations to McCain during her speech, Obama actually called up McCain and congratulated him personally. Classy. Despite McCain and Clinton’s talk of not relying on fancy speeches and talk, Obama was the one who actually focused on the issues that he feels are important, without trying to belittle his opponents. I don’t really care if it’s just speechifying, Obama knows how to move people, and he is really appealing.

Thinking these three speeches over, I’m not sure where people are coming from with the “Hillary is more presidential” thing. McCain and Obama seemed much more like serious candidates. I just can’t help it. I can’t believe her “experience” angle has gotten her so far, either, considering Bill Clinton was the third youngest president. Is she saying her husband was too young, too?

McCain is running on the pro-war thing and I know that is appealing for a lot of people, but for people looking for someone who is going to turn the country around, it sounds too much like Bush.

Obama and his crowd was fairly subdued tonight, but he seems to know that his lead is still comfortable. According to what I’ve read on the Internet, the results tonight were pretty much what his camp expected and the states coming up are very likely to go in his favor.

Anyhow, just thought I would share.