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I hope some of you had a chance to watch the President speak today at the Coleman Rally. What was shocking was how well the President gave this routine speech.

Early in Dubya's campaign for the Presidency I met him and listened to him. His personal 1:1 contact was just short of incredible. His speech delivery left much to be desired. The President has really become one of the best speakers in my memory and I am over 70.

We are indeed fortunate to have Norm and the President in the same government (at least we will after Tuesday).

Although I did not actually meet him, I campaigned for then-Gov. Bush and was among the crowd of well-wishers seeing him off back to Texas at Long Beach Airport the night before the California primary. Months before then, I began making every attempt to watch every one of his televised speeches and appearances. You are right that his speech-making has improved considerably. He has always done better with "big" one-time speeches rather than the standard stump speech all politicians learn to deliver. I'm sure they get pretty sick of giving the same speech over and over, and George W. seemed to find them particularly trying the more fatigue set in. The President's stump speeches are where he's improved the most. But he really rises to the occasion with the "big" speech. In his first two years, he's already given several very important, even great speeches. What comes to mind immediately are his inaugural address, the speech at the National Prayer Service after 9/11, his address to Congress after 9/11, and his address to the U.N. a couple of months ago.