Copy-editor-in-chief.

One of the Star's marvelous copy and assigning editors, Alf Holden, forwards this photo of Obama conferring with his speechwriter over a tribute to the late Edward Kennedy. Click to enlarge, and have a close look. See where Obama replaces generalities with specific examples; in other places does the opposite; exchanges a cliche with a refreshing, unfamiliar turn of phrase. As I e-mailed Alf in response, where did Obama first learn this? The squiggly mark he uses to remove punctuation is the traditional printer's instruction. Was it that year editing the Harvard Law Review? Or going over copy-edited manuscripts of his Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope? In any case, a dream for a speechwriter to work with - including the legibility of Obama's changes, most unusual in my experience editing books and magazine articles. Obama's chief speechwriter, by the way, is a superb thirtysomething and the second-youngest to hold the post of chief WH speechwriter, after the Atlantic's James Fallows when he signed on with President Carter.    

Comments

[Wascally Wabbit]

Love it David.
It provides quite an insight into the man though - doesn't it?
As for posting responses to comments - I for one don't expect it - it's a bonus of course if you do!
As a former editor myself in a small way ;-) of a bi-lingual community newsletter for Canadians working in Saudi Arabia (I still have most of the galleys) - I can claim maybe one "up" on your experiences. After we had published half a dozen editions - I discovered that ANY publications in the Kingdom (which had a harsh policy of censorship - you used to see little guys cross legged in magazine stores that sold Western publications - using their black felt pens and scissors to remove articles derogatory to the Kingdom or the Royal Family or photos of ladies in lingerie) - were subject to prior approval from the Ministry of the Interior - upon pain of imprisonment...
A fate worst than an editor spiking you - I'm told!

[David Olive]

A fate far worse than being "spiked." As a visitor from a land of free speech, it would be so much more painful to watch that process than for a native Saudi. You have at least two up on me: I've not been to Saudi, and not edited or written for a publication abroad. I'd love to have experienced that life, immersed myself in the culture. Glued to the screen as I am, it's all I can do some days to make it to the bottom of the street for milk.