MICHAEL KAMINER

DAVID LITT MRMW´] \N] out to write a depressing book. Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years 4ûûX :R]]´\ Y[NûR\NUā observed account of his tenure as a presidential speechÿ[R]N[ R\ Kû]^KUUā K [RX] 2^] ]X [NKM R] R\ ]X [NKUR\N KUU ]QK]´\ LNNW UX\] \RWûN QR\ NĀ LX\\´\ MNYK[]^[N O[XV öK\Q ington.

On the phone awaiting a flight to <Nÿ øX[T O[XV 3ò ÿQN[N QN´\ WXÿ QNKM ÿ[R]N[ OX[ ûXVNMā \R]N FunnyOrDie, Litt laughed when I told him what a downer his book was.

±7] ÿK\ þN[ā \][KWPN ÿ[R]RWP KLX^] ]QN =LKVK āNK[\ K\ ]QN B[^VY āNK[\ were beginning,” he said. “The book could serve as escapism for readers, and for me as I was writing. At the end, I tried to address ÿQN]QN[ B[^VY WNPK]N\ NþN[ā thing Obama tried to do. And

]QN KW\ÿN[´\ WX 7]´\ K ]ÿX \]NY\ forward-one-step-back moment. 7 QXYN [NKMN[\ ]KTN KÿKā ]QK] not so long ago, politics could be inspiring, and presidents could LN YNXYUN āX^ UXXTNM ^Y ]X 7]´\ S^\] PXRWP ]X ]KTN K ONÿ āNK[\ ]X get back there.”

7W\RMN ]QN öQR]N 6X^\N :R]] ÿX[TNM XW VKWā =LKVK speeches to Jewish audiences, including a 2011 talk to the Union of Reform Judaism that Tablet magazine branded “an exercise in schmaltz”. Litt scoffed when I reminded him of that review.

“That was a special speech for VN ² QN \KRM ±öR]Q KWā \YNNûQ āX^ WNNM ]X TNNY R] \YNûRORû ]X ]QK] K^MRNWûN L^] KU\X L[XKMUā \YNKT ]X America. Jewish audiences are no NĀûNY]RXW öQK] \][^ûT VN R\ ]QK] President Obama ad-libbed a line KLX^] QR\ MK^PQ]N[´\ LK[VR]_þKQ YK[]ā ûR[û^R] RW]X QR\ ]KUT 6N ÿK\W´] S^\] YKāRWP URY \N[þRûN+ QN ûX^UM [NKUUā speak to a Jewish audience.”

Part of that, said Litt, came from =LKVK´\ YN[\XWKU ûXWWNû]RXW ]X ]QN 8NÿR\Q \]X[ā ±öQNW ÿN ÿN[N ÿ[R]RWP for Obama and he was speaking to a 8NÿR\Q K^MRNWûN ÿN KUÿKā\ TWNÿ QN ÿKW]NM ]X ]RN ]QN \]X[ā XO ]QN 8NÿR\Q people, immigration, and exodus into other civil rights movements,” :R]] \KRM ±6N QKM K P[NK] URWN — ‘I have K OK]QN[ O[XV 9NWāK KWM K mother from Kansas, which is not āX^[ ]āYRûKU 8Nÿ R\Q \]X[ā´ — but the 8NÿR\Q \]X[ā [N\X nated with him, and he grasped it. 7]´\ [XX]NM RW ÿQX he is.”

Thanks, Obama WNþN[ MR\P^R\N\ :R]]´\ awe at working inside “the most high-pressure office building XW 4K[]Q² 2^] R] KU\X provides a hilarious, unvarnished look at the öN[WQKV 6XPP URTN Game of Thrones.

:R]]´\ YK\ sion for politics QK\ OKVRUā [XX]\ 6N ÿK\ LX[W RW ;KWQK]]KW 6R\ YK[ NW]\ LNûKVN QNKþRUā RWþXUþNM RW 2´WNR 8N\^[^W a high-profile Progressive \āWKPXP^N RW ;KWQK]]KW ]QK] emphasises tikkun olam as YK[] XO R]\ VR\\RXW ±BQN :R]]\´ home was an essential part of ]QN 28 ûKVY^\ K\ ]QNā QX\]NM ûX^W]UN\\ 6NL[Nÿ AûQXXU AQKL LK] MRWWN[\ QXURMKā ûXûT]KRU parties, and executive committee meetings,” reads a tribute YKPN XW ]QN \āWKPXP^N´\ ÿNL \R]N ±;KWā XO ]QN RMNK\ ÿQRûQ we now consider essential elements of our mission — most WX]KLUā 28´\ ûXVVR]VNW] ]X Liberal Judaism throughout the CWR]NM A]K]N\ KWM 7\[KNU ° ÿN[N QK]ûQNM RW AK[K KWM 1WMā´\ URþ ing room.”

At Yale, where he graduated ÿR]Q K QR\]X[ā MNP[NN RW " ( :R]] joined the campus “Obama for America” chapter, and became one of the “idealists who ÿX^UM \RVYUā WX] \Q^] ^Y about” the candidate. After graduating, a short stint with K YXUR]RûKU \][K]NPā OR[V UNM