There is a time for jargon

Apparently there was a big party in Washington today (link to every news site in the world not included for fear of breaking the interwebs again) where the new President made a "darkly sombre speech."

I thought it was good. Simple words, technical rhetorical things I don't know the terms for recalling the great American orators of the past and the Bible. About as far away from Our Kev's mangled buro-speak as you can get.

In fact it was almost worthy of Sam Seaborne.

Incidentally, I had a life imitating The West Wing moment the other day when reading about the real life 27-year-old speechwriter with "the uncanny ear for his master's voice" who's spent the last three months honing the inauguration address.

But I can't help thinking he maybe should have run this bit past the focus group - or even the real life Toby - one more time:

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise healthcare's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Um

Soil? Fuel?

Huh?

I really don't get it.

Unless he means "Biofuel" but couldn't say that because it wasn't a word in Abe Lincoln's vocabulary.

Sounded good but.