Last night, Ted Sorenson -- JFK's "intellectual blood bank" -- spoke with former Clinton speechwriter Ted Widmer at the JFK Library about Kennedy's Inaugural.
The evening was divided into four parts -- the preparation for the speech, watching the speech itself, the reaction to the speech, and a Q+A, which you'll be able to follow after the jump.
There were also quips -- lots of them -- and a healthy portion of dry wit, too.
Ted Widmer introduced Sorenson as the 'Greatest Ted' he knew. Sorenson begged to differ, speaking of "another Ted associated with the library."
After JFK bid farewell to the Mass. legislature before heading to Washington, both Kennedy and his parents expressed concern to Sorenson that they had used up all the 'good lines' in that speech. "I assured them," Sorenson said, "that there would still be some good lines for the inaugural."
Sorenson spoke of the input he and the President received for crafting the speech -- some who were "happy to suggest the entire speech" and "promptly told everybody" about their best idea, the section concerning the fear to negotiate.
They solicited advice from Billy Graham, whom Sorenson called "one of the greatest self-promoters of all time -- I say that with all due 'reverence.'"
Sorenson noted that JFK and the President-Elect are the only two non-WASPs the Presidency has had in the past forty years.
He spoke of what an Inaugural should not be -- a "fireside chat," a "partisan, campaign speech," a "state of the union," or an occassion to showcase the President's "personality."
A quibble emerged concerning the phrase "And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion." Widmer couldn't quite recall it word for word, prompting Sorenson to remark that "If you think it's a clunker, at least get it right" and that "I don't think you and I think it's as bad as you and I think it is. As Will Rogers said of Beethoven, 'He's better than he sounds.'"
Photo via Obama's Flickr Account.
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