speechwriter, but in making a film about them. which is how i came to be a today. i made a film in 2006, seven, eight, about the obama campaign, and one of my favorite parts about the film is getting to spend time with the speechwriters. and when i met dick goodwin a aa screen for the family started telling me stories, and the stories were so rich and so colorful that i thought this would be a great subject for a documentary. .. and knows all these guys really well and knows where all the bodies are buried. so without further ado, i would like to introduce robert and you are in for a real treat. thank you. [applause] thank you for that wonderful introduction. i want to thank david murray the professional speech writers association for putting this panel on. i want to thank georgetown for hosting us. i want to thank c-span for preserving for posterity that will no doubt be great wisdom from this panel. so the space shuttle has blown up yet there has been a terrorist attack.
he is a managing editor for opinion at u.s. news & world report. he blogs and writes himself, and he works for the boston globe, he s been covering politics for a long time, and he really knows the ins and outs of speechwriting and knows all these guys really well and knows where all the bodies are buried. without further i do, i would like to introduce robert, and you re in for a real treat. [applause] robert: i want to thank the professional speechwriters association for putting this panel on, i want to thank georgetown for hosting us, i want to thank c-span for preserving for posterity what will no doubt be great wisdom from this panel. the nation turns its lonely eyes to the president. in the modern era dating to police december 7, 1941, the president has been not only the commander in chief, but the comforter in chief, the mourner in chief. the job description of the president in the modern era now includes expressing our national outrage, expressing our national gri