Mort Zuckerman Clarifies Claim That He 'Helped Write' An Obama Speech

As you may recall, U.S. News And World Report editor-in-chief Mort Zuckerman recently caused a minor stir after he went on the air with Fox News's Neil Cavuto and said, "I voted for [President Barack] Obama. I, in fact, helped write one of his speeches."

This was a monumentally confusing thing to hear. In the first place, there are Zuckerman's wildly divergent, pro-Wall Street politics, which do not interject themselves into any of Obama's speeches. And then there's the whole matter of Obama's actual speechwriters never having met Zuckerman. And finally, while some people say Obama's speeches are too professorial and difficult to be understood by the public and other people say, "I, Mort Zuckerman, wrote one of Obama's speeches," they obviously cannot both be true.

As it turns out, neither are. Via Alex Pareene, here's a clarification from Mort Zuckerman, which further indicates that the only speeches he may be writing are for the translations of Eugene Ionesco plays:

Over the years I have been asked by various public officials, including those in Washington, for my perspectives and views on numerous issues. These conversations have always been considered confidential. My point in noting during a recent television interview that I had once "helped" contribute to one of Barack Obama's campaign speeches was to reflect the fact that my recent criticisms of the president came from someone who had been supportive of him, who had voted for him, and whose newspaper endorsed him. I continue to hope for his and the country's success.

Essentially, Mort Zuckerman is the sort of person who's become so inured to the belief that the world revolves around him, whenever he sees something in the world that he agrees with, he naturally assumes that he is the reason for its existence.

And that's the Mystery Of The Speech That Mort Zuckerman Helped Write For Obama.

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Comments

[ljc]

10:39 AM on 07/15/2010

I wrote Zuckerman's clarification.

[ClintBMD]

12:54 PM on 07/15/2010

I write Zuckerman's columns (as a joke, but he doesn't know that).

[knosiswar]

09:48 AM on 07/15/2010

I'm not buying. I bet he somewhere contributed or was consulted about a pro Israel Speech.

[SofaKingKool]

12:44 AM on 07/15/2010

I helped write all his speeches and so did my wife

[SMOSLEY]

06:14 PM on 07/14/2010

Mort Zuckerman is first and foremost a liar. He has never been anything but critical of President Obama. He goes on MORNING JOE where he and Scarborough spend the entire program trying to demean President Obama. I won"t watch this show for that very reason. No one with half a brain believes he voted for Obama. During the presidential election all of his comments were pro Mccain and anti Obama.

[mathew]

07:10 PM on 07/14/2010

Mort Zuckerman is first and foremost a neocon Israeli supporter.

He wanted the Iraq"war" & now wants to waste US Treasure & blood attacking Iran.

A US economy circulating the drain & neocon warmonger Zuckerman thinks he is the Guru.

[tweedy54]

09:27 PM on 07/14/2010

Completely true!!!!!!!

[PHILVflorida]

03:32 PM on 07/14/2010

Mort, thinks he is a great intellectual, and why not, he is up against Joe Scarbourgh in morning, and Joe thinks he is the greatest congressman ever.

[SMOSLEY]

06:16 PM on 07/14/2010

MORT ZUCKERMAN IS A RACIST LIAR WHO HAS NEVER SUPPORTED PRESIDENT OBAMA.

[Vlady]

12:42 PM on 07/14/2010

Now I am almost certain that I helped to write this blog

[Valda DeDieu]

02:38 PM on 07/14/2010

Funny. I can go you one better. "I -- started Huffpost." Beat that.

[PHILVflorida]

03:34 PM on 07/14/2010

I told you to start the "Huffpost"

[armyof14USA]

11:22 PM on 07/14/2010

I help Bill Gates, build Windows Operating System, lol