…it was, in fact, an extremely well-crafted and well-considered speech, sophisticated and layered as a piece of rhetoric, that built to a powerful (if over-the-top) conclusion.

On MSNBC and CNN, commentators are all but weeping over the glory of this speech. David Gergen: “I thought she was a class act. It can well be said that nothing so became her campaign than the way she ended it tonight…It was so unselfish.” Keith Olbermann: “I would have been proud to deliver that speech.” Rachel Maddow: “She really did it tonight–she told everyone why they should vote for Obama.”

The idea? Hillary is a great feminist figure. That was the point. The culmination of the speech was about the achievement of women.

The other idea: Barack Obama better tell you why he’s so great ’cause I’m not going to do it.

Was there a single idea in Hillary’s speech? While she had a few good moments stirring up the partisan rabble, the first half seemed devoted to how important her campaign was. Then it fell into the waterfall of phrases that are preprogrammed on the laptops of Democratic speech writers: Energy speculators, windfall profits, jobs shipped overseas (twice!), workers displaced, the favored few, affordable health care, alternative energy, mounting bills, privileged few, privatize Social Security, equal pay for equal work.

Her real theme was feminist boilerplate, to which she returned, over and again. That was no accident. It signaled to her still-rapid supporters that her resentment over losing and then being passed over for Veep is still white hot. “I support Barack Obama” is just a slogan that she had to say. In the meantime, her team of sabotagers have been fighting all day to make sure that there is a roll call vote tomorrow during which her name can be mentioned repeatedly. Her goal tonight was to play Kennedy to the 1980 Carter. She’s still angry.

Fred Barnes says about the Obama team.

Who was being endorsed in Hillary’s speech — Barack Obama or Harriet Tubman?

That’s Bill Kristol’s summation–and I think he’s right. There was nothing personal here. Perfunctory and that was all.

I’m back from the dogs and Harriet Tubman, back from the pantsuit sisterhood and back from the primary rerun. She can’t be criticized for withholding support, but she didn’t really say anything nice about him. And she sure didn’t take back her 3 a.m. jab. They will chew over this for days, if not weeks.

She’s into that school marm cadence and finger pointing mode–didn’t work in the primaries, didn’t work tonight.

This is the umpteenth time I’ve heard the “equal pay for equal work” line at this convention–and from a Yale-educated lawyer this time.  I guess she missed the class on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

A paragraph of criticism of John McCain and a jab at the “twins” George W. Bush and John McCain. But enough of that — on to Harriet Tubman. There are dogs and torches and .  . .  we’re really far off the point of endorsing Barack Obama.

Take out 10% of the lines, less perhaps and it could be a post-primary victory speech. And the opening of 2012. But she ever-so gently skips over anything particular to Barack Obama. Democrats are good, and Bill Clinton is good. What is missing? Any personal validation of Obama himself. Let him do it himself, she no doubt believes. Uh oh — some boos for Joe Biden as VP? Ah well, they don’t have to like it, do they?

Now, now, John.  Actually Hillary is one of the few people I know who can wear orange. But Michelle’s aqua dress was a much better choice.

…doesn’t have a very good poker face. She despises Hillary.

Why has Hillary chosen to look as though she’s been cast in a remake of The Andromeda Strain?

So finally she says she supports Barack Obama. How many minutes in?

The central message of Hillary’s speech: Democrats will take care of you.

This suddenly isn’t about Barack Obama. It’s the reunion of the “sisterhood” — of the pantsuits, yet!

Could she be speaking any more slowly?