Kennedy Delivers

I watched the leadership speeches on CBC tonight and for my money Kennedy delivered the best speech of the night. He was the only candidate that addressed the issue of renewal, an issue which is important to those of us who are still troubled by the Liberal corruption and sense of entitlement after 13 years in power. You could see the audience reaction to his comments on the need for renewal. Stone cold silence from the back-roomers and lifers. Too bad because for those of us who are looking for a commitment to change and renewal, the last thing we want to see is long time Liberal fat cats licking their lips in anticipating of a big juicy meal at the next election.

His speech was also full of energy and passion. The end of his speech, when he was describing how his experience working at the food bank has motivated his public life was particularly moving. His tone was lower key, less aggressive and he was more relaxed. At that moment I really felt that he was letting you in to get a good look at who he really is. The guy you'd see if he invited you to his house for dinner. I thought it was a very effective way to end his speech and one which certainly cemented my support for him.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Kennedy about six weeks ago and we talked for several minutes. I was trying to get a sense for his character and so I asked an obviously provocative question. I asked if what he would do if it was clear he couldn't win. He said he is in this for the long haul. His response was immediate, short and direct. And I could tell that he meant it. I saw more of that tonight. It's the passion and honesty of people like Gerard Kennedy and Robert Kennedy who really make me believe that a commitment to public service is a more than worthy vocation. Something that I haven't felt for many, many years.