When one of my acquaintances expressed his enthusiasm for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s October 7 speech from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece—seeing it as the de facto launching of a presidential campaign—I thought to watch the talk in its entirety.
It was worth the viewing, if only for the craftsmanship involved. It was set in the golden hour, with the Parthenon beautifully framed behind Rubio, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun.
It was as well written as it was visually staged, although it had none of the eloquence of a Ronald Reagan address. (“These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.”) Soaring oratory like that is generally the joint effort of the speaker and the speechwriter, and while Rubio is a capable extemporaneous speaker, he doesn’t have the Gipper’s oratorical gifts.
In my friend’s view it was a defense of Western civilization, which we agree can stand some defending, especially while it is burning in France. The speech’s emphasis on the civilizational virtues of strength, duty, and ambition was designed …read more
Source:: Ron Paul Institute
