White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their SpeechwritersIn White House Ghosts, veteran Washington reporter Robert Schlesinger opens a fresh and revealing window on the modern presidency from FDR to George W. Bush. This is the first book to examine a crucial and often hidden role played by the men and women who help presidents find the words they hope will define their places in history. Drawing on scores of interviews with White House scribes and on extensive archival research, Schlesinger weaves intimate, amusing, compelling stories that provide surprising insights into the personalities, quirks, egos, ambitions, and humor of these presidents as well as how well or not they understood the bully pulpit. White House Ghosts traces the evolution of the presidential speechwriter's job from Raymond Moley under FDR through such luminaries as Ted Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., under JFK, Jack Valenti and Richard Goodwin under LBJ, William Safire and Pat Buchanan under Nixon, Hendrik Hertzberg and James Fallows under Carter, and Peggy Noonan under Reagan, to the "Troika" of Michael Gerson, John McConnell, and Matthew Scully under George W. Bush. White House Ghosts tells the fascinating inside stories behind some of the most iconic presidential phrases: the first inaugural of FDR ("the only thing we have to fear is fear itself ") and JFK ("ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"), Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" and Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speeches, Bill Clinton's ending "the era of big government" State of the Union, and George W. Bush's post-9/11 declaration that "whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done" -- and dozens of other noteworthy speeches. The book also addresses crucial questions surrounding the complex relationship between speechwriter and speechgiver, such as who actually crafted the most memorable phrases, who deserves credit for them, and who has claimed it. Schlesinger tells the story of the modern American presidency through this unique prism -- how our chief executives developed their very different rhetorical styles and how well they grasped the rewards of reaching out to the country. White House Ghosts is dramatic, funny, gripping, surprising, serious -- and always entertaining. |
Contents
1 | |
Missouri English | 31 |
Sometimes You Sure Get Tired of All This ClacketyClack | 69 |
The Age of Sorensen | 101 |
Now Thats What I Calla News Lead | 145 |
Concern for Image Must Rank with Concern for Substance | 188 |
Go Back and Give Me One Speech Not Two Speeches | 230 |
Dont Give Any Explanation Just Say I Cancelled | 268 |
The Musketeers | 312 |
No No No This Is a SpeechI Just Want to Talk to People | 402 |
The Troika | 456 |
Notes | 495 |
Acknowledgments | 559 |
Illustration Credits | 579 |
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administration aides American asked Author interview Baer Bakshian Ben Elliott Buchanan Bush Bush’s called campaign Clark Clifford Clinton Congress Curt Smith Demarest Democratic diary Dolan draft Dwight Eisenhower Dwight Eisenhower Library Elsey Fallows FDR’s Files folder foreign policy George Gerald Ford Gergen going Goodwin Haldeman Hardesty Hartmann Hertzberg HSTL Hughes Ibid idea January Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter Library John Johnson June Kennedy Kennedy’s Larson later LBJ Library March McConnell memo Moley Morris Nixon Noonan noted November oral history interview Orben Oval Office Papers Peggy Noonan phrase political president presidential Rafshoon recalled reported Republican Robert Ronald Reagan Roosevelt Rosenman Rosner Schlesinger Scully Secretary September Sorensen Soviet speak speech speechwriters speechwriting staff staffers Stephanopoulos talk Ted Sorensen television There’s thought tion told Truman Union Valenti Waldman wanted Washington Post White House White House staff William Safire words writing wrote York
Popular passages
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