The Speech

The best political speech s far this election year was given last night by somebody not running for office, someone in fact who’s never even held elected office.

There were other very good speeches at the DNC’s second night, including a charming one by the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, about his wife, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

And the greatest political orator in a generation, Barack Obama, delivered an impassioned speech, inspiring Democrats to get out the vote for Harris this November.

Both of them were terrific.

But the best political speech so far this election year was given by Michelle Obama. It was flawless; the words flowed out of her over the crowd, bathing them in light and evoking the sense of a shared mission.

It takes something exceedingly rare in any person to give such a speech, one you don’t want to end, one that unites the speaker and the spoken to in the poetry of a heart beating with hope.

This business of politics can sometimes make you cynical. The naked drive for power so blatantly on display in our normal political discourse is tiresome.

But this speech was not normal.

If you missed it, check it out.

HEADLINES;

• Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? (Independent)

• How a Far-Right Takeover of Georgia’s Election Board Could Swing the Election (NYT)

• Biden’s Emotional Speech Hints at a Bigger Takedown of Trump to Come (TNR)

• The tech donor network co-founded by JD Vance seeks to push America to the right. (Reuters)

• Israeli military recovers bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza operation (WP)

• Hamas accuses US of ‘buying time for Israel’ in Gaza ceasefire talks (Al Jazeera)

• Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover Is Now the Worst Buyout for Banks Since the Financial Crisis (WSJ)

• Scientists Seeking Life on Mars Heard a Signal in 1924 That Hinted at the Future (NYT)

• Why do pelicans keep dropping dead in California? Scientists are searching for answers. (WP)

• Condé Nast Signs Deal With OpenAI (Wired)

• OpenAI to Let Companies Customize Its Most Powerful AI Model (Bloomberg)

• Apple ‘Poised To Win’ AI Wars, But The Market Already Priced That In (Forbes)

• Trump Promotes A.I. Images to Falsely Suggest Taylor Swift Endorsed Him (NYT)

• Philosopher’s Friends Constantly Pitching Him Ideas For Dilemmas (The Onion)