Did He Wake Up Anyone @ Wake Forest?

by [Mark Hemingway] from The Corner

With all the hullabaloo over the Notre Dame speech this (past) weekend, no one seemed to much notice Joe Biden gave the commencement address at Wake Forest (May 19, 2009). You can read the transcript here, but as to be expected, you could probably give yourself a pre-frontal lobotomy with a screwdriver that's accidentally been dropped in the toilet and come off more coherent than Joe Biden. What's going on here? Even with speechwriters, the Great Commuter is still a verbal train wreck:

I believe so strongly, as you may recall when I was here in October, not in you particularly but your generation, that I don’t have a single doubt in my mind we’re on the cusp not only of a new century but a new day for this country and the world.

Way to win the crowd over. Don't believe "in you particularly"? I'm sure the feeling was mutual, Mr. Vice President.

There’s not a single issue on this President’s plate that will not yield a change — just merely by ignoring it, it will change.

Change has come to America — even when it hasn't! You know, it's true what they say, the more things don't change, the more they change. Or something.

Folks, we’re either going to fundamentally change the course of history, or fail the generations that come after us, because change will occur. Non-action is action, unlike most generations.

Does he think this makes sense or is he just going to steamroll through the speech and hope no one notices? "Like I said, non-action is action and if that's confusing — oh look, here is a picture of a cat with a piece of bacon taped to it."

But today, with all the difficulties you face, you graduated into a moment where your opportunities are much greater. And your charge is not to restore anything but to make anew.

Nothing in this country needs restoring. Change for change's sake. Change is always positive. Change.

This has been the history of the journey of America — never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, never have the American people let their country down at rare moments, similar moments in our history. And it’s a journey we’re all going to take together.

Biden then added, "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

HT to John over @ Lunch Break for this heads up!