Questioning a religion’s underpinning can be hazardous. Best not to suggest Mohammed was a war monger, or that Buddha was awfully fat for someone so perfectly detached, or that Al Gore is a crackpot. To Obama fanatics, the gospel truth is that he is a master orator. Even his political enemies concede this point, but what if all of them are wrong? What if Pres. Obama is a poor speaker?

To be sure, Obama is an effective speaker, stumping his way to the Oval Office with no qualifications or experience of consequence. He draws thousands to hear his words in person, when they sound exactly the same on TV. People like him; his popularity as a person far outstrips the popularity of his policies. And in comparison to his dullard opponent, Sen. McCain, candidate Obama really was a brilliant star. Still, does that make him a Churchill, Reagan, or Blair? No, not even close.

Contrary to the reporting of MSNBC, Obama is a boor of a speaker. When deprived of his teleprompter, Obama is a mess. Every third word is ‘um,’ and he stammers and blurts as if he has no competence with the topic at hand. Obama sounds like a mix of Captain Kirk and Ken from A Fish Called Wanda. His blurbs are tedious and predictable generalities. He never sounds the depths of actual policy. He is overly cautious, unwilling to make a commitment until consulting his staff (is repressing Iranian protestors wrong? I’ll get back to you on that). The reason Obama favors the teleprompter is because he is lost without it.

Obama’s ponderings are sugar sweet and equally without substance. We can have it all, and someone else will get the bill. Some big, ugly outsider is to blame for everything. As Obama’s honeymoon ends, he is still giving stump speeches, devoid of the details that burdened Pres. Clinton or Pres. Bush (41). Contrary to all common sense, Obama expects Congress to hammer out his policies. When the Democrats hold every lever of power in Washington, triangulation is just a cop-out.

So, why the adulation? Racism, probably. Then presidential candidate Joe Biden was amazed that Obama was a “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.” Why would Biden find such a combination unique? Perhaps he was more used to the drug slurred speech of rap stars, or sweaty linebackers mouth-breathing a thanks to God after winning the Super Bowl. Of course people listen to pop stars and sports idols more often than politicians, but come on Biden, open your eyes.

What of Sec. Condoleezza Rice? What of Justice Clarence Thomas? What of Sec. Colin Powel, Rep. J.C. Watts, or Michael Steele? Since Biden cited all of human history, what of Frederick Douglas? All of these are articulate, bright, and clean. Had Biden never heard of these people? The problem is that they are not really black because they are Republicans (Powel notwithstanding). Real black leaders had to be Democrats like Sharpton, Jackson, or Randall, sadly corrupt and sleazy. So, because of Biden’s biases, Obama seemed unique.

Biden is far from alone in his biased expectations. Chris Matthews is famous for his tingling leg during Obama speeches, like a dog having its belly rubbed. The entire mainstream media uses Obama’s alleged speaking skills as a foil to evade the ugly underbelly of his real agenda. People need to avoid this snow job. People need to close their eyes and imagine if Pres. Bush (43) had talked in such meaningless generalities – the press would have torn him apart, which they did.

Republicans currently lack a talented orator for their ideas (in fact they are a bit weak on ideas as well). Someone will step forward soon enough, but the first step in fighting Obama’s evil world vision is to deprive him of his most powerful weapon – his all-powerful microphone. Stop condoning the gospel that Obama is a brilliant orator. Stop conceding ground for nothing. Obama started well, but his speechmaking has not transitioned from the stump to the pulpit well at all. For eight years, Democrats lambasted Bush’s inarticulate speech instead of confronting the substance of his policies. Obama, contrary to the common view, is vulnerable to the same tactic, and it is well past the time to fight.