The Plank

Barack Obama showed in his victory speech that he can make “graciousness sound rousing,” writes David Kusnet, former chief speechwriter for Bill Clinton. Obama, who first spoke with grace about Hillary Clinton then about John McCain, seems to have learned how to put people at ease since he’s been a stranger all his life, having lived Hawaii, Indonesia, California, New York and Chicago, writes Kusnet. Clinton’s speech, however, was roundly panned by The New Republic’s bloggers. It was “incredible” for not conceding and “barely muster[ing]” a good word for Obama, writes Jonathan Chait. It was “pretty bad” for implying that Obama can’t win in November, according to Jonathan Cohn. It was a “total disgrace,” “combative” and “petty” with only “scant praise” for Obama, writes Isaac Chotiner.