The Voice Of America

People judge politicians for a lot of reasons. (See earlier discussion on character.) I've often wondered, among these reasons, how important a candidate's voice is. I don't mean the wisdom behind the voice, I mean the voice itself.

Perhaps it shouldn't matter, but as Al Gore droned on and on, in his monotonous, condescending tone, I have to ask if a certain number of people didn't say "I'm not going to listen to that for four years." Ditto, oddly, for Kerry. (Not that Bush was any great shakes, but his voice, as opposed to his speaking style, was passable, I guess.)

One of the best political voices in recent times, Bill Clinton, is married to one of the worst. The junior Senator from New York has a flat, nasal voice that gets shriller as it gets louder. It's not pretty. I think I'd prefer Al Gore. (I thought someone else had noticed and written a book, The Unique Voice Of Hillary Clinton, but that turned out to be about something else.)

Hillary has a couple years before the race begins in earnest. Maybe when she's not busy moving toward the center, she can take voice lessons.