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Bit Player: My Life With Presidents and Ideas

Efrain Powell

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By William Asbury

I was a bit player in the great drama of American history. I was a speechwriter and advisor to presidents from Eisenhower to Reagan. I was there when Kennedy was shot, when Johnson declared war on poverty, when Nixon resigned in disgrace, and when Reagan won the Cold War. I saw it all from the inside, and I have a story to tell.

Bit Player: My Life with Presidents and Ideas

by Stephen Hess

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	27638 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	205 pages

I was born in a small town in the Midwest. My father was a farmer and my mother was a schoolteacher. I was the first in my family to go to college. I studied history and political science at the University of Michigan. After graduating, I got a job as a speechwriter for a local politician. I quickly realized that I had a talent for writing speeches. I could take complex ideas and make them clear and persuasive.

In 1960, I was hired as a speechwriter for John F. Kennedy. I was 29 years old and I was about to embark on the most exciting adventure of my life. I worked with Kennedy for three years, and I saw him grow from a young and inexperienced politician into a great leader. I was with him when he delivered his inaugural address, when he stood up to the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and when he was assassinated in Dallas.

After Kennedy's death, I worked for Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. I wrote speeches on a wide range of topics, from civil rights to the Vietnam War to the economy. I saw the best and worst of American politics. I saw presidents at their best and worst. I saw them make wise decisions and foolish decisions. I saw them rise to the occasion and fall short of expectations.

I learned a lot during my time in the White House. I learned about the importance of leadership. I learned about the power of words. I learned about the fragility of democracy. I also learned about the human condition. I saw how people can be both good and evil. I saw how they can be both selfish and selfless. I saw how they can be both wise and foolish.

I am grateful for the experiences I had during my time in the White House. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served my country. I am grateful for the chance to have witnessed history firsthand. I am grateful for the lessons I learned about myself and about the world.

Bit Player is my story. It is a story of my life in the White House. It is a story of the presidents I served. It is a story of American history. It is a story of the human condition.

I hope you will read my book. I hope you will find it interesting and informative. I hope it will give you a new perspective on American history and politics. I hope it will inspire you to get involved in your community and make a difference in the world.

Thank you for reading.

William Asbury

Bit Player: My Life with Presidents and Ideas

by Stephen Hess

4.4 out of 5