I click on MSNBC and the first words out of Andrea Mitchell's mouth declare that she has just spoken with young speechwriter Jon Favreau, who wanted to remain off-camera and behind the scenes "of course," Mitchell said, but who said "he is just so excited to hear his words read today. It was a collaborative effort of course …."
Funny, one report I heard was that when Obama returned the speech to his writer it was awash in red ink and that he had pretty much rewrote it.
ABC reported this morning that Obama basically wrote his own speech, after consulting with Favreau. They implied the speechwriter was almost a non-factor.
I’ve heard these reports too, and they don’t surprise me. Obama is the second-best writer who ever held office, next to Lincoln (who was legitimately literary).