On CBS, Brinkley Marvels at 'Very Beautifully Written' Obama Speech; 'Seminal Moment'
Douglas Brinkley predictably fawned over President Obama's apparently "very beautifully written"
address marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a
dream" speech, mere moments after he finished delivering it: "I think it's one of the great speeches that Barack Obama's ever delivered." [audio available here; video below]
Scott Pelley turned to Brinkley during CBS's special coverage of the
anniversary rally. The liberal historian was quick to sing the
President's praises:
SCOTT PELLEY: Doug Brinkley, noted American historian, professor of
history at Rice University – as we embark on the next 50 years, what
will this day mean to us?
DOUGLAS
BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, I think it's one of the great
speeches that Barack Obama's ever delivered. It had a theme of – the
coalition of the conscience, he put it – about moral and economic
justice. So, in President Obama's history, it's a seminal moment. But I
think, most importantly, it's saying the struggle continues, and that we have to fight against, as the President said, the greed-mongers.
There's a – it gets back to that 99-to-one notion that he ran on in his
campaign – that we've got to pull together – and he started talking
about everyday people that make a difference by lending a helping hand –
very beautifully written.
The Rice University professor has a history of gushing over Obama. The day of the Democrat's first inauguration in 2009, Brinkley likened the Democrat to FDR and George W. Bush to Herbert Hoover. More recently, in October 2012, during the last days of the presidential race, the historian did his best to boost the incumbent: "He's [Obama] a very natural person....He's a really warm and genial person. What he has going for him is he exudes family values."
Earlier in 2013, Brinkley hailed Obama's reaction to the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial: "It certainly was historic....I think it elevated the Trayvon Martin story, really, to the annals of DayGlo, top-tier history....it was quite memorable." He later heralded the President as a "constant grief counselor."
