We Irish will bet on anything after a few drinks.
From CNS News:
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power says Sen. Barrack Obama (D-Ill.) is the undisputed master of cliches this election season, and his well-known mantra — “Change†— is sure to show up in Thursday’s speech when he accepts the Democratic presidential nomination. The odds are 10 to 1 it will, the Dublin-based oddsmaker said.
The odds other cliches will show up, according to Paddy Power, are “I’m fired up” at 6 to 1; “I’d like to thank my wife,†“As I stand here today,†“fundamental belief,†“defining moment,†and “God Bless America†clock in with 12 to 1 odds (says something about Obama when “God bless America,” which would usually be at 1 to 1 odds for a politician, is at 12 to 1 for the Deliverer).
“Let me be clear,” “war on terror,” “politics of hope,†and “common purpose” come in at 14 to 1 odds.
“Crossroads of history,” “I have a dream,†“pursuit of happiness,†“I’m fired up†and “building a better America†are at 16 to 1.
“We cannot lose hope†is at 25 to 1, and “an eye for an eye only winds up making the whole world blind†is at a measly 100 to 1.
Odds of other potential Obama cliches during his Invesco Field acceptance speech
They left a few out of the above story, so here are some of my best guesses for other potential cliches along with the odds:
10 to 1: “Iraq and a hard place.”
40 to 1: “My family doesn’t put on Ayers… uh, I don’t mean ‘Ay-yers’ but rather ‘airs’ without the ‘y’… you know what I mean don’t you?”
60 to 1: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Hey, yeah, that’s all I was doing!”
75 to 1: “A penny for your thoughts. Think about it. This means that if all of us here at Invesco Field had just one thought, we could feed my half-brother for over two years!
90 to 1: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch — not that I don’t think they count as chickens before they hatch like that lie the right is telling everybody about me.”
100 to 1: “Speaking of that, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs… just as long as that omelette isn’t made in the last trimester because I never ever said that should be legal.”
115 to 1: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Save the water just in case there’s a drought.”
125 to 1: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions and named after Robert Byrd… just kidding Senator.”
130 to 1: “My white grandmother calling the kettle black.”
140 to 1: “Plato said that an unexamined life is not worth living. Those actor kids from Diff’rent Strokes were indeed wise.”
150 to 1: “Remember, big brother is listening — well, not mine because he can’t afford a radio. I’m just messin’ wit cha, bro!”
165 to 1: “It was the most historic day since the Wright brothers took flight. Jeremiah’s got a brother? See, I told you I never listened to anything he said!”
175 to 1: “Let me tell you a cock and bull story… hey, why’s President Clinton leaving?”
And coming in at 200 to 1 odds is the unintentional tribute to Ted Kennedy cliche trifecta: “Water under the bridge,” “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” and “Asleep at the wheel.”
Have a good speech, Senator Obama, and cliche away!