American Voices: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Orators

Sometimes I forget when hearing the words spill from world leaders' mouths, that they are not necessarily their own. That the great(?) and good(?!) tend to have a raft of speech writers at their disposal to artfully craft whatever bit of political message they wish to promote into something that sounds impressive but does not offend too many interest groups. Indeed – that they manage to offend so many people anyway sometimes makes me wonder what the message would be better straight from the horse's mouth.

If you enjoy The West Wing, you'll probably like this book. Want to...