The job of a speechwriter involves finding the delicate balance between telling the whole truth and getting out the message a politician wants the public to know. This hour, we’ll talk about that process with Barton Swaim, a one-time speechwriter for former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Swaim writes about his experience in The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics (Simon & Schuster).
![](https://think.kera.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Obama_healthcare_speech_draft.jpg)