I've come to a decision. I'm not going to watch and/or listen to political speeches anymore. Listening to these speeches doesn't give you any more substantial information than you would get from just reading the transcript. When you don't have to listen to the pontificators, or their sycophants and critics in the media, then you can avoid having your opinion influenced by irrelevant factors such as their physical appearance or their tone of voice. As the old saying goes, sincerity is your greatest asset. If you can fake that you can get anything. I just don't have any more patience for the subtle nuances of lilt and tremble, beat and alliteration, a quick smile and a steely gaze. This crap and the analysis of it has brought down even the most astute political analyzers. So much so that our national dialog is dominated more by questions of "did he sell it" then by questions of "does he have something worth buying". Here's my advice to everyone: turn off the TVs, turn off the radios, listen to your own hearts and your own minds. God knows you won't find much of those on the air.