It's kind of fascinating watching stump speeches this primary season. Each of the candidates has a unique style, as do their surrogates. There is, of course, Barack Obama's ringing oratory, which has become something of a trademark. It will be so good to hear him for the next eight years after the ear-beating we've taken these past seven. Hillary knows her stuff, no doubt about that, but her speaking style comes off as scolding. If you're a mom who has ever sent her kid to her room without dinner, I think you might find a bit of yourself in Sen. Clinton, and not in a good way. Bill, of course, is a wonderful speaker. He's had a lot of practice, and it's served him well. Even when he screws up, there's something you've got to love about the man. John McCain is probably the worst speaker I have ever heard. Dull as dishwater and wrong on the facts. I've never made it all the way through a John McCain speech, but what I've heard is both snore-inducing in it's delivery and hide-under-the-bed terrifying in it's content.

The speeches have been fascinating, both in style and substance. I'm sure we'll hear plenty more before it's all over, and maybe I'll make it through a McCain speech all the way through. I do have a favorite speaker, though, and he was in Texas last weekend, on the campaign trail for Barack Obama.

I ever needed someone to argue on my behalf, I'd pick this guy.

I always come away with the one thought after hearing the Senator speak. I've heard him many times, not for as many years as some, but I've managed a few. And after each time I find myself thinking that if everyone in America had listened to him speak back before the '04 election, just one time, we'd be looking at a very different country today.

What I like about Senator Kerry's speeches, especially those like this one from Saturday at Galveston's University of Texas Medical Branch, is that you can expect certain things. I've never dissected one before, but it struck me watching this one that even when the themes change, the construct is pretty consistent. First, you're going to get a story. About how his mom sparked his interest in the environment, or about being stranded in the mountains of Afghanistan or a about riding his bike in the hills of Pittsburgh. They are personal stories, and he tends to scatter them through speeches and draw the audience into the conversation. Second, there's a history lesson. About Vietnam, or about the early days of the environmental movement or about the Constitution and the early days of our country. There are the facts, of course. In this case, the facts about Barack Obama's experience and qualifications. And then, there's the call to action and consequences of inaction. John Kerry the senator will always be John Kerry the activist.