ABC This Week 2/24/08 played an edited clip of Michelle Obama, speaking in Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday 2/18, omitting "really" (bolded below) from the phrase:
“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country … not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change,” she said. “I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment.”
First, she almost always speaks without notes or even cards. So some slack is justified (if she had a do-over, she would change "just not" to "not just").
The first few meanings of "proud" are about something inner, something achieved or done. Not a feeling of pride, which is what McCain referred to in his response.
As I read comments and see distortions - and I know this is 6 days old, but it may resurface in the General - I understand what Michelle was saying. She believes she doesn't need notes because even in speeches she taps into the here and now and then she can talk, in this case, about pride in how the campaign was organized, run, and how it has been run, and how it has tapped into a common purpose that has grown as the appeal of the cause has grown, and demonstrated not just the appeal of the cause, but the appeal of her husband. |
