The Sheila Variations

Both of these are excellent contenders (Dad was a speech teacher, so I do actually think about these things).

Others:

FDR's "The only thing we have to fear..." speech.

Kennedy's "To The Moon"

And, my personal favorite, Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall". I remember that one the first time I heard it. Although I had switched from being a liberal to conservatism during the course of Reagan's administration, even I thought he was overboard in thinking the Soviets could be shut down - until this speech. I've written a lot about how important that was for me, growing up in missile country like I did.

But yeah, Patrick Henry's pretty cool, too :-)

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

Really it's King, Jr.'s "I have a dream..."

Big Dan...hahahaha.

Though I'd put Otter's "We're not just going to stand here and listen to you bad mouth THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!" speech higher on the totem pole. I mean, that one actually inspired a *humming* of the national anthem!

hahahaha!!!

Mitch - I love the stories about those trapped in Eastern Block countries - hearing that "tear down the wall" speech, and thinking: Oh my God - he gets it. SOMEONE GETS IT.

Reagan is still a hero in some of those countries because he called a spade a spade when nobody else was.

Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.

hahahahaha

Patton's speech before D-Day?

That or this:

"I believe in the soul ... the small of a woman's back, the hanging curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

"I Have a Dream". Without question.

JFH:

mmmmmmmmm

Oh sorry ... that was just me moaning. I love that speech.

Patton's is good, too.

JFH, Patton had a speech before D-Day? He wasn't directly involved in the invasion, much to his regret, but instead spent the time in England baby-sitting his phantom decoy army, the one the Germans had been double-crossed into believing was making the "real" landing at the Pas de Calais, i.e., that Normandy was a distraction.

Dave J,

Yeah, he made the speech (which was edited for the general public at the time and the movie) June 5th, 1944. Despite his role as a decoy he still was able to make the speech to HIS troops of the 3rd Army.

Dave, don't forget that the whole reason Patton had the phantom army was that he was the only Allied commander who actually scared the Germans.

No doubt in my mind:

The politics of failure have failed. We must go forward, not backwards! Upwards, not forward! And always twirling! Twirling towards freedom!

- President Kang, 1996 campaign speech.