from Schieffer's closing comments today on "Face the Nation."
Finally today, seeing the television picture of that crowd in Grant Park that had come to celebrate Barack Obama's victory was a sight I will never forget.
But I was disappointed, at first, in Obama's speech. I was expecting another of those rousing, old-time, "Yes, we can" orations that had electrified crowds during the campaign.
He made a fine speech, I thought, but why didn't he ramp it up, as he had so many times before? Where was the punchline for this one?
Well, the next day, I read something in the paper that helped me understand that wasn't what he had in mind Tuesday night.
I read that his campaign had planned a big fireworks display, but Obama had said no. He understood that the rally that night would speak for itself. There was no need to gild the moment with fireworks, nor would a stem-winding speech that rubbed victory in his opponent's face have been appropriate.
Tuesday, in his mind, was the night to say thank you, not gloat. The faces in the crowd would tell the story.
That restraint, Obama's understanding of how it would all look, an ability so often lacking in today's politicians, may well but what brought him to victory.
Time and again, in a hard-fought campaign, there were lines Obama could have crossed but didn't.
He made no issue of McCain's age. He raised no questions about his health. He never went after Sarah Palin. He knew how it would have looked.
Communicating, cutting through, connecting with people is more than just the words we choose. It also means understanding when no words are necessary.
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