An amazing intersection of events has been occurring since Saturday, January 8th, when the horrific shooting rampage of one mad man left six dead and 13 wounded at a political meet-and greet in Tucson, Arizona. One such event was watching our Commander in Chief as he struggled with his speech impediment in order to use words to comfort and strengthen a nation torn by violence, anger and bi-partisanship. The other event is the prayer going out for Gabrielle Gifford, a congresswoman who represents soft and moderate speech, calm versus angry persuasion, the capability to reach across the divide in Congress, and the ability to lead the different sides of her district to find compromise rather than anger-fueled victory over "the other guys."
Yes, I said speech impediment. The movie, The King's Speech, shows King George VI struggling with a stutter and being painstakingly coached to overcome it over incredible odds. I contend that President Obama has an equally strong impediment, that of allowing his body language to defeat his message. His head tilts up and to the left or right when he finishes a thought and that communicates a loftiness that sets him apart from us. This is accentuated by the President's stiff stance, holding himself slightly back from rather than in to his audience. And, perhaps most disturbing of all, our leader finishes most every sentence on a down beat as if he has run out of energy and hope. Finally, there is a flatness to his words that leaves them improperly fueled to travel the distance from his mouth to our hearts.
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