(no subject)
On speechwriting:
"My chief qualification for speechwriting was a love of the English language as a beautiful instrument of precision. Despite learning to type in eighth grade, I have always preferred to write by hand. I wrote my first drafts of Kennedy's speeches in longhand on long, yellow legal pads, editing as I went along, with more arrows, deletions, insertions, circles and directions in the margins than most stenographers could follow. I almost literally thought through my pen, sometimes not certain of my position on a nuanced issue until I had written it. ..."
and later
"A great speech is great because of the strong ideas conveyed, the principles, the values, the decisions. If the ideas are great, the speech will be great, even if the words are pedestrian; but if the words are soaring, beautiful, eloquent, it is still not a great speech if the ideas are flat, empty or mean-spirited. ... Nevertheless, I do not dismiss the potential of the right speech on the right topic delivered by the right speaker in the right way at the right moment. It can ignite a fire, change men's minds, open their eyes, alter their votes, bring hope to their lives, and, in all these ways, change the world. I know. I saw it happen. "
Elsewhere:
" ... Recognizing from history the danger of his becoming isolated in the Oval Office if surrounded by a bubble of yes-men, President Kennedy made certain that his staff as well as his cabinet was composed of strong-minded individuals unafraid to speak truth to power, men of different philosophies, ideologies, and backgrounds. ... It was my job to say: "Wait, why, what will the consequences be?" ..."
"It was an administration uniformly characterized by high ideals, dedication, and integrity, an era of altruistic governance that now appears to be gone forever. Not ever decision the team made was brilliant; not every action was universally admired. But no high-level Kennedy appointee was indicted for flouting the law, accepting a bribe, or lying to Congress or a grand jury; none was eased out for legal reasons or scandals. Why was the Kennedy team different? Because the president was different -- because his standards were different."
- Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History; Ted Sorensen