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Jeanine Pirro's First Speech: The 32 Second Pause

By Jeralyn, Section Hillary Clinton
Posted on Thu Aug 11, 2005 at 12:16:52 PM EST
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Bump and Update: Crooks and Liars has some video from the speech contained in a new ad - "Jeanine Pirro's Positive Vision for New York - without a script, she is speechless."

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Original Post 8/10 3:15 pm

Jeanine Pirro officially announced her candidacy against Hillary Clinton today. John Nichols of the Nation, writing for CBS, says Hillary lucked out. But the most reported news of her speech at the Waldorf Astoria is that she couldn't find page 10 , causing a 32 second pause.

Michael McKeon, who provided the text and said later that she had been writing until the last minute and left that page in another room. Not unexpectedly, New York Democratic Party officials, who sent an aide to monitor Ms. Pirro's speech, seized upon that long pause as an excuse to tweak the Republican as minor league.

"Today's announcement speech of Jeanine Pirro shows she may not be able to take on her primary opponent, let alone Senator Hillary Clinton," Denny Farrell, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement. "The speech was long on attacks and literally silent on specifics for New Yorkers - 32 seconds of silence that spoke volumes."

The Times says Jeanine was poised during the pause. The Village Voice says the pause lasted minutes.

She stressed her 30-year career in office, and her moderate views. She laid out her positions on controversial issues ("I support making President Bush's tax cuts permanent. But I also support the right of a woman to choose. . . . I believe in immigration. . . . But I also believe in the Patriot Act.") Building momentum, she took aim at her opponent, someone who "has shortchanged New York" and who "hasn't delivered."

"But I am not Hillary Clinton," Pirro declared, pausing for effect. She segued flawlessly from the type of security she's fought for at home to the types she'll fight for on Capitol Hill - not just national security, but Social Security, medical security, economic security. "You will know where I stand on the issues," Pirro trumpeted, staring at a fixed spot in the back of the room.

"Hillary Clinton," she continued, and looked down at her notes. She then paused, mid-sentence, and said nothing. She shuffled through her notes, as seconds passed. Then minutes. Reporters