Clintonspeak:

So I attended the Clean Energy Summit put on by Harry Reid and UNLV this week. The keynote speaker on Monday night was former President Bill Clinton. I had never heard Clinton speak before (other than on TV when prez and such) and I was definitely not impressed.

Forget the message for a minute but the former President was a mess as a speaker. I have been a Toastmaster for almost 10 years now and speak 3-4 times a week at various groups so I have a little speaking experience. Clinton's speech was a bumbling mess. He tried to speak from some notes he "wrote in the plane on the way here" and it came across like it was a terrible flight. He repeatedly lost his place and referred to point 7 as point 2 and point 8 as his second point and repeated himself or joked until he found his place again. It was to the point that I was uncomfortable for him. I expected a lot more from a guy who gets millions each year just to speak to them.

As to the content of his speech. He showed a depth of knowledge on Alternative Energy that I appreciated. A couple of things like "de-coupling" energy companies that I had not heard of before and his closing on making Nevada a kind of pilot program for total energy independence made me applaud. Clinton did well when he told stories and he could have told a lot more of them. He made great points but I wish his presentation was a lot more professional. With the VAST majority of those attending having Clinton as their hero he got a standing ovation when he was done and the conference went on.

I have said this before and I say it again. Words are great but time slips by as we talk. The time has come to DO something. I would have loved Clinton to put some of his or his foundation's (which he touted over and over again) money into Nevada to make this the pilot program move. We have been SAYING these kind of things since before he was president and still we talk. If he'd have come with a check my ears would have perked up and people from both sides would have cheered.