Free Republic

Theodore Chaikin Sorensen, whose prose mingled with the thoughts and words of his close friend John F. Kennedy to create some of the most memorable presidential speeches of the 20th century, has died, a week after suffering a stroke.

In previous articles on the subject of President Obama's writing skills, I have focused on his 1995 memoir, Dreams From My Father, not his 2006 book, Audacity of Hope for one reason: Dreams, according to esteemed British author Jonathan Raban and others, captures Obama's "authentic voice." On the strength of Dreams, Raban called Obama "the best writer to occupy the White House since Lincoln." Raban is in good company. "I was astonished by his ability to write, to think, to reflect, to learn and turn a good phrase," said Nobel prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison of Dreams. "I was very impressed....

In previous articles on the subject of President Obama's writing skills, I have focused on his 1995 memoir, Dreams From My Father, not his 2006 book, Audacity of Hope for one reason: Dreams, according to esteemed British author Jonathan Raban and others, captures Obama's "authentic voice." On the strength of Dreams, Raban called Obama "the best writer to occupy the White House since Lincoln." Raban is in good company. "I was astonished by his ability to write, to think, to reflect, to learn and turn a good phrase," said Nobel prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison of Dreams. "I was very impressed....

Barack Obama needs to overcome the “demographic challenge” of race by connecting with voters on a personal level, Ted Sorensen said Tuesday. Obama needs to become better-known as “a family man and a community organizer,” Sorensen said, stressing biography and his life experiences to move some voters past “their unease about voting for a black man.”Sorensen, the Nebraskan who served as President Kennedy’s chief adviser and speechwriter, addressed his homestate delegation at the Democratic national convention, then sat down for an interview. President Kennedy faced efforts to categorize him as the Catholic candidate for president, Sorensen recalled. “JFK thought it...