Quotations of Cody Keenan

Not too long ago, the President and I were working on a speech that we knew would get a lot of attention. (…) So two days before the speech, I handed him the first draft in the Oval Office (…). He started out by saying, “Look, this is well-written, and I could probably deliver it as is,” which almost never means he actually wants to deliver it as is. “But we have two days, so let’s make it better.” And then he gave me one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten, one I wish he’d given me years ago. “You took a half-swing on this. Take a full swing.” Chief White House Speechwriter Keenan, Commencement Address, 19 June 2015, selected Vital Speech of the Week

Cody Keenan