Wisconsin law professor Ann Althouse isn't impressed with the junior Senator from Illinois:

So I go to listen to the speech. Am I offended that Obama reframes his usual material with the Virginia Tech story? He had a speech to give that day, and it would not have worked to omit the subject. Plenty of other people went out of their way to use the massacre to promote their favorite issues -- notably gun control.

What really struck me about that audio clip though was what a gasbag Obama is. I hear a tired-sounding man, who rambles on and on. I know he's speaking before a group. I hear them respond now and then, when he mentions that Iraq is a war that should never have been waged and when he says teachers deserve higher pay. But if I didn't know who he was and that there was a crowd there, I would picture an old man slumped in an armchair, expatiating for the benefit of anyone unlucky enough to be within earshot. It's formless stream of consciousness.

Read the whole post, including a link to audio of Obama's speech, at the link above.

The guy is tiring, visibly, which does not bode well for his chances. This campaign is in the early stages yet. The real strain will be in the weeks leading up to Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada. Those are the only contests before the mega-primary in early February. If he can't stand the strain nine months ahead, how will he ever hold up to multiple daily events, seven days a week?

I've wondered here several times why Hillary acquiesced to the canceling of three debates already. In that forum, she could show her command of detail and run rings around Obama and Edwards. I had suspected she wanted to avoid the tough questions on Iraq from the antiwar left, but now I think she wants to keep Obama and Edwards alive as long as she can, knowing she can sweep them away at any time with a wave of gravitas they can't hope to match. This helps squeeze out others who might be more of a threat - Richardson, or perhaps even Gore. The activists and donors are already committed, making it harder for others to gain traction. If she sent Obama and Edwards packing, there would be a flood of unemployed workers and consultants on the market, inviting someone else to jump in.

The longer the empty suits can suck money and support from the system, the better she likes it.