Obama, Our First Geuniune Author-President

So bloviates Garrison Keillor.

In the end, one wanted to be there on the Mall before the Capitol on Tuesday at noon amid the jubilant throng and see the man take the oath of office—our first genuine author-president.

He doesn't elaborate, but seems to forget more accomplished "author-presidents." Presidents who wrote their own books, which is quite in doubt with Obama.

The Other McCain, meanwhile, examines the quite-bizarre circumstances which somehow brought this literary light to the world's attention.

A 28-year-old law student gets written up in the newspapers, then gets a call from a literary agent? She calls him?

The agent then signs this 28-year-old nobody -- whose only credential as an author is student law journal stuff -- with Simon & Schuster. Hello? In what alternative universe does this happen?

He misses his deadline, but that's OK, because he then gets another big contract with a $40,000 advance. At this point, Obama's story is reminding me of another popular book, The Peter Principle.

But the real killer is how, having gotten a contract based on a proposal for a book about race relations, Obama pulls a bait-and-switch, and instead delivers ... a memoir.

A memoir! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?? Unless you led the league in RBIs and helped the Yankees win the Series, how the hell does a 28-year-old get away with selling a memoir to a major publisher for $40,000?

By what accomplishment does a 28-year-old law student merit readership for a memoir? What can he possibly write that anyone would want to read? Nothing.

Thanks to Phil K. and John S.

Bonus: Jake Tapper of ABCNews writes:
[DrewM.] See correction.

[Edited: I've deleted the erroneous non-quote to keep it from spreading further. Not to hide my error (see the correction), but to keep my misreporting from being repeated more.

posted by Ace at 04:13 PM

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