I was really looking forward to seeing "Dirty Harry" give his speech at the Republican Convention. But we didn't get "Dirty Harry" ... we got Clint Eastwood, a clearly aged Clint Eastwood and at points it really was painful to watch as he lost his train of thought and stumbled to remember the words he wanted to say.
One thing we know for sure: he didn't use a teleprompter, and I believe spoke from his heart. He got a few good zinger's in, and the best zingers are always grounded in truth.
But as much as I respect and admire him, there were moments that were painful to watch, I suspect some of that has to do with my own personal expectation (or hope) that Dirty Harry would show up when Clint Eastwood did instead.
“We own this country.”
From a delivery persepective, it was definitely awkward and off-color. But, as you say, it was also genuine and heart-felt. I have a feeling the the Convention organizers were probably expecting something much different and didn’t preview the speech because it was Clint. Anyway, plenty of fodder either way for those who say they loved or hated it.