[Mamzelle]

I also have a keen interest in rhetoric, spoken and written. I have never gotten the "eloquent" thing. He never says anything I remember: no takeaway lines. Sarah has more good lines in one of her surprisingly elegant, concise facebook essays than O's entire canon. I guess eloquent means "fine baritone combined with certain hypnotic hand gestures."

His cheeks pop out with all the plosive consonants. That should have been trained out of him first thing. And the odd way he finishes words with "ee" vowel. "Possibluh" instead of "possibly." And, of course, that maddening teleprompted head-swing...

Have you read some of Sarah's FB essays? They are ideas conveyed with complete coherence and a studied lack of pretension. Very nice little essays.

[steve86]

He never says anything I remember: no takeaway lines.

Neither do I. It is impossible to remember form devoid of substance.