God bless us every one! Plus, Obama at courtside

I only just now heard the very last 60 seconds of Barack Obama's remarkable live session with the Republican caucus yesterday. Those seconds included his final words before leaving the GOP session in Baltimore and heading back to DC. Those words, the only cliched part of his entire presentation, were (of course!) "And God bless the United States of America!"

Sigh.

I recognize that this is how it is. But three update points. One, this was the concluding theme of discussion just now with Guy Raz on NPR. Two, a (supportive!) note from a reader in Illinois who has seen even worse.

"I  understand completely your urge to shudder when a presidential speech ends with that line in lieu of an actual, logical, concluding thought. It comes across as a throwaway line rather than a benediction when it's inserted mechanically.

"Years ago,  I worked in (very small market) local radio as a copy writer, and for me  the equivalent to your bugaboo line for political speeches is the dreaded "for all of your ____________needs." 

"We had clients who pushed hard for that kind of positioning statement, including the owner of a propane gas supply shop who really wanted to use "for all of your gas needs".  Sadly, that line also would have worked for our local Taco John's franchise. And probably for Bean-O. When it's the lowly writing wench versus the account exec and the client, you can guess who lost the argument, at least that time. (Bite tongue, type copy, collect paycheck, take deep cleansing breaths, and live to fight another day.)"

Three, on the bright side: through good fortune and the generous invitation of a college classmate who is now a Georgetown U professor, I got to go to the Georgetown-Duke hoops showdown this afternoon. We ended up sitting more or less directly behind Barack Obama -- though way, way back -- and saw when he went over to the broadcast desk to sit in with the play-by-play crew. We couldn't tell what he was saying, though we saw that he stayed there for more than a mere handshake. Just now I've seen it, and it is deft, funny, and effortless enough that I forgive his now-rote speech ending. Whether or not you wanted to sit through the 80+ minutes of the GOP session, these six minutes are worth watching. My favorite: the "if you're bragging about beating an Ivy League team..." riff about three minutes in. Plus, "I'm coming for your job!"

And at least he didn't say "God bless the Hoyas" or something of the sort before heading back to his seat.