He describes the Department of Defense's person press operation and why it can't produce a list of heroes. To visit Condi Rice, you have to find someone at the Department of State who knows where her office is.
When you get there its like a scene from Jane Austin. Rumsfeld is open and friendly but edits his speeches through back and forth text. I was surprised to read how closely Pres. Bush read his speeches and how thoroughly they were vetted. Not much is left to chance at the White House.
The few insights that make this a "tell all" are at the end where Latimer decides that George Bush is not a true conservative and Karl Rove a manipulative control freak. There are several out loud laughs here and a lot of chuckles. This is not an essential read for those interested in politics, but is a lot of fun.
Sep 05, Steven Yenzer rated it it was ok. I had a few main issues with Speech-Less Latimer has exactly the humor you'd expect of a young Republican. Basically, white-bread Dad humor. The stuff he finds hilarious is mildly funny. At best. He also makes a goodly number of references to Star Wars and other nerdy IPs throughout the book, but they're often inapt. For example, he compares meeting one of his Republican heroes to meeting C-3PO. There's no connection between 3PO and this figure, in personality or otherwise — Latimer just I had a few main issues with Speech-Less Latimer has exactly the humor you'd expect of a young Republican.
There's no connection between 3PO and this figure, in personality or otherwise — Latimer just choses the android as a famous character. It's weird. Latimer really dislikes Democrats, and almost never says anything good about them with the notable exception of Barack Obama. It wouldn't be so bad if his criticisms didn't seem so petty — for example, noting how Nancy Pelosi rides around in an SUV while campaigning against global warming.
You'd think after a decade in Washington, Latimer would realize that Democrats don't have a monopoly on hypocrisy. Similarly, Latimer really dislikes almost everyone in Washington. In his view of the nation's capital, everyone but him and a few of his friends and heroes are power-hungry, mean-spirited, back-stabbing hypocrites.
I don't doubt it, but I also don't trust that Latimer is a lily-white idealist who never did anything he was ashamed of. According to Speech-Less , St. Peter will wave Latimer right through at the gates of heaven, because the former speechwriter's record appears to be clean as a whistle. I found the book fairly interesting and quick to read. Latimer is a mediocre but serviceable writer. If there were more books written by modern White House speechwriters, I would say you can leave this one on the shelf, but the market is pretty barren.
I can't help but wonder how many of the lower ratings were based on political beliefs. I am not affiliated with either party, but I can see how Dems and Repubs both could find something to be offended by. Latimer's story isn't a "Washington insider" kind of memoir. It's more of a story about a MidWestern idealistic kid who made his way to the White House and left as a disillusioned political veteran.
It's one man's story, and I enjoyed reading it. After his years as a speechwriter, it's easy to I can't help but wonder how many of the lower ratings were based on political beliefs. After his years as a speechwriter, it's easy to see who he has the greatest respect for, and others not so much. There are two things that bother me after finishing the book. He became a White House speechwriter with less than 2 years remaining in Bush's term. I think that is a big caveat here, although it's not really acknowledged as such.
The administration had weathered 6 years already. Had his experience in the White House began in with Inauguration, his experience would likely be very different.
At times he's disappointed in his own party, but he walked into the White House fresh faced and idealistic at a time when the administration had been through 6 years of beatdown. Bush had a lot of miles on him by the time Latimer showed up ready to change the world. So, that's one thing that bothered me.
The other thing - he was way too hard on Jimmy Carter. But how about a caveat there, too? Politics aside, Jimmy Carter has proven to be an exceptional human being with all of his humanitarian work around the world. Doesn't that count for anything in the conservative's bio of the man?
Nov 10, John rated it liked it. Very interesting read. Latimer has great insight and humor into the frustrating world of government bureaucracy and office politics. Latimer vigorously defends Rumsfeld, who comes off well in the book, but he also tends to gloss over or seem willfully ignorant as to why there was such outrage.
Latimer then also complains at length about all the "cleaners" that came in towards the Very interesting read. Latimer then also complains at length about all the "cleaners" that came in towards the end of the Bush administration to clean it up. Unfortunately Latimer's personal politics place this book in ground that is self-contradictory.
He is a "movement conservative" true believer so he wants ideologues at the helm - as opposed to centrist types like Def.
Gates, who he labels "cleaners. Ironically Bush himself comes off looking the best - but Latimer had become disenchanted because non-ideological governance was to him a betrayal of the conservative movement. In all, it's a page turning entertaining book that's often funny and has nuggets of great Washington wisdom, but it's not internally consistent.
Dec 03, Elaine Meszaros rated it really liked it. Matt Latimer is one of those fortunates who has a dream, a plan and the ability to reach his goals. Not so fortunately, once he obtained his dream job, he found his dream was not all he had hoped. A political junkie and the only conservative in a family of liberals, Latimer single-mindedly worked his way up he political ladder, starting as a speechwriter for minor politicians.
But when his his uber-goal of working as a speech-writer for the POTUS comes true, Latimer was thrown into the fast-disi Matt Latimer is one of those fortunates who has a dream, a plan and the ability to reach his goals.
Bush's regime. The politicians and law-makers were nothing like Latimer had imagined. Their behavior is often bizarre and irrational; they have little knowledge of many of the topics of the day. Finding words to make them sound intelligent is often an extreme challenge. Aids and advisors are often just as confused as the politicians the work for: "In the middle of explaining the economic horrors that awaited us, Keith reached for something near his chair.
It was a Musketeer cap. As in Mickey Mouse Without an word of explanation, he placed the cap on his head. Then he continued talking as if nothing at all strange was happening As we sat there on the top floor of the White House, at the center of power, I couldn't help wondering how it had all come to this.
Shelves: politics-and-policy , out-of-my-comfort-zone. This is an interesting memoir by a kid from Flint, Michigan who realized his dream of becoming a speechwriter for the president. Matt Latimer started his career in Washington with the forgettable but unforgivable Spence Abraham, moving his way up through the ranks to become Donald Rumsfeld's chief speechwriter, and then a member of the speechwriting staff of George W.
THere is a lot of Washington gossip here as well as some interesting 'behind the scenes' takes on some of the biggest contr This is an interesting memoir by a kid from Flint, Michigan who realized his dream of becoming a speechwriter for the president. THere is a lot of Washington gossip here as well as some interesting 'behind the scenes' takes on some of the biggest controversies of the Bush years.
Some surprising things that I've learned, in no particular order: 1. Ann Coulter is 'nice'. Dick Cheney - also 'nice'. Latimer at one point insinuates that Bush didn't care a whit about any of his domestic policy initiatives, except for immigration policy. Interesting, and not at all comforting. This book was both funny and interesting. Latimer is a little too partisan at times, bashing McCain he hates McCain for his maverick ways, taking cheap shots at Nancy Pelosi, but otherwise this seemed like an honest account.
I am glad Latimer has left politics and I hope that he succeeds in Hollywood, if that is infact where he is headed. Sep 08, L rated it liked it Shelves: non-fiction.
An interesting behind the scenes look at a life in politics. Although the author credits his decision to write a memoir to the inspirational memoirs of other political speechwriters that he read as a child and which prompted him to become a speechwriter, his is not that kind of story. It's more of a cautionary tale about politics and the gradual replacement of idealism with cynical disinterest.
There were a number of laugh out loud moments, though, and Latimer's writing is very good. This quote An interesting behind the scenes look at a life in politics.
This quote stood out to me: "Many people envision life in the West Wing as something akin to the old Aaron Sorkin TV show: where attractive young people walk briskly through the halls and discuss matters of great importance with snappy dialogue and sexual tension In the real West Wing few people moved with any sense of urgency.
Our dialogue was rarely snappy or clever And not one of the speechwriters bore even a slight resemblance to Rob Lowe. We were more like Rob Lowe's cousins - the ones who didn't go out much. An entertaining, informative read and not just because I would rather Donald Trump be teaching Jazzercise right now Annabel Crabb mentioned this book to Leigh Sales some time ago. If you haven't checked out their podcast, chat10looks3. If you like the podcast please go and give them a review on iTunes.
Leigh starts episode 3 with show tunes and they talk about Portuguese tarts. I think they did eventually arrive at a bakery to eat some but you'll have to listen to episode 4 to find out whether these were Portuguese custard tarts or only custard tarts. I like both but there is a difference. You'll also find solace in a community of readers who mispronounce words they have only ever read but do not use.
I was happy before I took down a few book recommendations for an 'insider' read. Jun 26, Janet rated it really liked it Shelves: memoir-autobiography. I don't read a lot about politics, but I really enjoyed this autobiographical account of a passionate young Republican who went to Washington, DC and became first an aide to a senator, then eventually a speechwriter for Donald Rumsfeld and then President Bush. The picture he paints of behind-the-scenes government is both funny and frightening.
Latimer seems to paint a fairly clear-eyed and even-handed portrait of the various officials and staff members he works with, not making himself into a he I don't read a lot about politics, but I really enjoyed this autobiographical account of a passionate young Republican who went to Washington, DC and became first an aide to a senator, then eventually a speechwriter for Donald Rumsfeld and then President Bush. Latimer seems to paint a fairly clear-eyed and even-handed portrait of the various officials and staff members he works with, not making himself into a hero, just a dedicated person trying to do his best for his bosses and the country.
His observations about what the various White House personnel thought about the McCain-Palin campaign were especially interesting to me, as was his story about visiting Abu Ghraib with Rumsfeld. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the slightest interest in what happens behind the "curtain" of the US federal government.
May 27, Becki rated it liked it. Based soley on the first half of this book, it would have probably received 4 stars from me. However the last half of the book is the reason it only received 3 stars. For many, it is an eye opening revelation to how our government works. While my mouth was agape at reading parts of it, i have studied politics for many years and was not surprised at much of it. The first half was a good story on the inner workings of congress and the pentagon.
The second half, after he got to Based soley on the first half of this book, it would have probably received 4 stars from me. The second half, after he got to the White House, seemed to be more about his opinion was always right and how his speeches were the best. I would recommend this book to folks, just so they can see the things that our tax dollars pay for, and why cuts need to be made internally, not on programs helping people, like medicare!!!
Mar 09, Nancy rated it liked it Shelves: biography-memoir. A memoir about the inner workings of the George W. Bush White House in its last two years, written from the perspective of one of the President's speech writers.
Matt Latimer grew up in a liberal household, but embraced conservative ideals as a boy and realized his ambition to write speeches for Republicans in Congress, the Defense Department Donald Rumsfeld for three years and the White House W for about two years.
It's interesting and depressing to see how ordinary many elected officials a A memoir about the inner workings of the George W. It's interesting and depressing to see how ordinary many elected officials are, and Latimer doesn't pull any punches when chronicling his experiences with people he didn't respect see the chapter on Karl Rove as the key example.
An OK book, but Latimer isn't explicit about his own philosophy of government and that flattened the mood for me. It was funny and I was entertained--more by the personal story than by the politic insights. I'm not sure that Latimer was all that fair or insightful because I don't know enough about the individuals he wrote of from other multiple sources that is , but I liked the self-deprecating humor, particularly the early portions of his book about his family and childhood.
What the latter portions of the book lack is a real sense of humility or modesty and perhaps perspective. Almost all of the speech w It was funny and I was entertained--more by the personal story than by the politic insights. Almost all of the speech writing portions concern instances where his advice wasn't accepted and things turned out poorly as a result, or conversely his advice was accepted and things turned out great. He's still one smart and interesting dude though. Jun 14, Whitney rated it really liked it Shelves: government-and-leaders.
It's very grim, in its own way - it's a picture of disillusionment as much as anything else. But it's also very interesting and behind-the-scenes-y, which I enjoy. This was released in and it definitely shows - the political feel of this book very early Obama. Latimer's own ideologies aren't really distracting - it's about his work, not his politics. This is very much a memoir, as opposed to a tell-all or expose or even respectful study on his role as a speechwriter. Latimer has a lot of bi It's very grim, in its own way - it's a picture of disillusionment as much as anything else.
Latimer has a lot of bitterness for Bush who wasn't conservative enough for him as well as for anyone he felt didn't measure up to his standards of pure motivation.
This makes for a pretty sneering, snarky look at Washington, but no less enjoyable for that. Oct 09, Tamarind rated it really liked it. I liked the fact that he was a Republican but was still able to give perspective of working for such high powered people. Bush White House. I would've been just as interested if it was a Democrat giving a critical view of a Democratic presidency.
I really appreciated Latimer's favorable view of Rumsfeld, and it helped put him I was first introduced to this book by Matthew Latimer's interview on NPR. I really appreciated Latimer's favorable view of Rumsfeld, and it helped put him in a different light for me.
Honestly, by the time he got to the White House, the book wasn't as interesting, and I feel that's because it was very anticlimatic for Latimer. Shelves: non-fiction , humor , presidents.
A humorous insightful look "inside" D. Along the way he works for a local Michigan congressman and Senator Jon Kyl, before being hired as a speech writer for the the Department of Defense where he works for Donald Rumsfeld and then finally achieves his goal of working as a speech writer for George W. Although my political persuasions are at the opposite end of the spectrum, Latimer does a good j A humorous insightful look "inside" D.
Although my political persuasions are at the opposite end of the spectrum, Latimer does a good job of "humanizing" his employers, pointing out their strengths as well as weaknesses. Apr 12, Trish rated it liked it. While I don't share some of the political views of the author, I thought this was an interesting book to read.
He describes various jobs working on Capitol Hill, and as a speech writer for the Secretary of Defense. From the Pentagon, the author moved on to the White House where he worked as a speech writer. The author gave readers a good sense of what the jobs were really like, and I enjoyed reading about the personalities of the various government officials.
The author's sense of dismay with th While I don't share some of the political views of the author, I thought this was an interesting book to read.
The author's sense of dismay with the world of politics grows as the book progresses. As a piece of writing, this was wonderfully done. It was engaging and funny with interesting characters and just enough pokes to make you think Latimer won't be getting a job with certain people in the future.
Was it all true? I doubt it. Latimer comes across as the ultimate unreliable narrator - extremely comfortable with his own brilliance and similarly sure that no one else was really as good as him. In the end though, he tells a fantastic story. Apply a pinch of salt to it and enjoy the read. Sep 22, Ashley rated it really liked it. I really liked this book even though I generally have little interest in politics.
I think the reviews it got for being vindictive or full of gossip were made by people who didn't actually read it. The author portrays the human side of many of the political figures that the nation came to despise. It definitely helped me realize that not all republicans are selfish moralists, those are just the republicans that I know.
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Some of the best stories take a few hundred years to tell. In I finally made it to the Bush White House as a presidential speechwriter. But it was not at all what I envisioned.
Titled Me Talk Presidential One Day , the article recounts Latimer's befuddlement at what he saw as incompetent and uninformed decision-making during the economic crisis of on the part of Bush and Bush's staff, particularly Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson.
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: Ten Facts about Guantanamo The White House. March 20, Retrieved July 25,
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