Catch Counselor: A Life At The Edge Of History Compiled By Theodore C. Sorensen Offered In Script

the best book I've listened to all year, Read by the author. I guess you would have to say that he was one of the guys they were talking about when they talked about "the best and the brightest".
The most surprising thing He was from the University of Nebraska ! No wonder I found this in the Omaha Public Library.


He tells what is was like inside the Kennedy White House Cuban missile crisis, his assassination and the day to day.
some very candid opinions on all the famous political leaders of our time on the final disk.
Amazing his take on LBJ,

It was like listening to a grandpa telling his life story he said it's much more open than the first book he wrote when he first got out of the White House and the country was still in mourning and Jackie and most of the others were still alive.


"Less than half a century ago John F Kennedy showed how quickly our country's role in the world can be changed for the better.
Ultimately I believe that the American people will grow sick of cynically corrupt political hypocrisy and turn on those who permit our security and international standing to erode, our environment to be despoiled, our fiscal problems to worsen, and our energy independence to whither.


In time they will turn once again to the idealism of 'The New Frontier'.
I'm still an optimist. I still believe that extraordinary leaders can be found and elected, That future danger can be confronted and resolved, that people are essentially good, and ultimately right in their judgments.


I still believe that a world of law is waiting to emerge, enshrining peace and freedom throughout the world.
I still believe that the mildest and most obscure of Americans can be rescued from oblivion by good luck, sudden changes in fortune, and sudden encounters with heros.


I believe it, because I lived it, "

Ted Sorensen's inspiring if uneven memoir recounts in vivid detail the excitement of being John F.
Kennedy's virtual alter ego from the time Kennedy was a young Senator from Massachusetts to the day he was brutally and unexpectedly gunned down in Dallas.
Ever loyal to his fallen leader, Sorensen captures the Kennedys at their very best the idealism of the New Frontier, the founding of the Peace Corps, the management of the Cuban Missile Crisis in which Sorensen played an instrumental

part, and the introduction of the most farreaching Civil Rights legislation in a century.
Although not blind to the Kennedys' failings, from the Bay of Pigs to Judith Exnor to Chappaquiddick, Sorensen perhaps understandably prefers to dwell on their soaring aspirations, which Sorensen helped to cast in the most memorable American political rhetoric since Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.


Not surprisingly, it is hard for the account of Sorensen's life as an international lawyer and political advisor at the law firm of Paul, Weiss to match the heady days of his being the principal advisor to the President of the United States.
As Sorensen wryly points out, the only job he ever really wanted was Special Counsel to John F.
Kennedy, a job that abruptly ceased to exist in, Nevertheless, Sorensen gamely describes his advice to Robert Kennedy, his correspondence with Jackie Kennedy, his encounters with world leaders ranging from Anwar Sadat to Nelson Mandela, and his failed Senate race and disappointing nomination for head of the C.
I. A. under Jimmy Carter.

The book concludes, however, with the intense and moving story of Sorensen's struggle to recover from his stroke and subsequent blindness.
All in all, Sorensen comes across as a likable Nebraskan of firm convictions and high principles who, through a combination of luck and ability, was privileged to occupy a pivotal position on the world stage for a brief, shining moment.
Some observations, with no particular method or organization, Which, to be candid, is actually a good summary of the text itself, It tries but it jumps arounda lot,

This was the first book I have read about Kennedy's Presidency where I suddenly felt the loss of JFK.
It is easy and obvious enough to romanticize the period, but there was something in the part of the book where Sorensen really begins discussing JFK, his candidacy, some of his initiatives, that simply forced the wind out of me with a sudden realization: "Oh My God.
I can not believe how much those bullets took away from our country, "

Pagestarts a "boilerplate" memo from Sorensen to presidential aspirants, "Remember that one unknown but energetic, enthusiastic worker is better than a whole committee of prominent citizens.
"

I continually struggle with the question of whether I respect men of importance who include details in their autobiographies about how they didn't treat their often first families very wellrespect them for the honesty of including the anecdotes at all, or whether it is slightly obnoxious because of the brevity with which such histories are always treated.


After his stroke, questions posed to Sorensen by a resident to get a feel for his consciousness:

"Q: What year is this
A:.

Q: Who was elected President last year
A: Neither I nor anyone else knows the technically correct answer to that question and that question is not making me feel better.
" I listened to the audio book Counselor by Ted Sorensen, which was read by Ted Sorensen.
This was a firsthand account of Ted Sorensens interactions with Senator and then President John F Kennedy.
His personal account was interesting but perhaps a bit “long winded”, He related a lot of his own personal experiences, which was not all that interesting, Not a bad book, but I have read much better, Added.

I listened to the audio version of sitelinkCounselor: A Life at the Edge of Historyby sitelinkTheodore C.
Sorensen. I love peeking behind the scenes in history, In this book, Sorensen looks back and tells about his personal experiences in politics and foreign affairs.
Wiki says: " Sorensen was an American presidential advisor, lawyer and writer, best known as President John F, Kennedys special counsel, adviser and legendary speechwriter, "

The book was publishedyears before he died, He died at the age ofin, In the book, he often gives his frank opinion about many of the powerful people he dealt with.
He quotes personal letters he received from the people he dealt with, including Jackie Kennedy,

He explains the details behind historic events like the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
He describes all the vital decisions which had to be made at those times and the reasoning behind those decisions.
We came so close to WW III,

The man was so wise and so knowledgeable! Wonderful with words too, Of course, that's one of the reasons he was an advisor and a speechwriter, At overpages this memoir was far too long by far and gave even as democrat like me an opportunity to see Ted Sorensen, even tempered by age, as far too critical of anyone any everyone who was not John Kennedy.
There's a meanspirited undercurrent to much of what he writes here, though if you're looking for minuscule details that are probably not important to many others besides Sorensen, you'll find them here.
Primarily an autobiography detailing the events that would lead to Sorensens working for John F, Kennedy helping craft his speeches and manage the state level campaign that would lead to his presidency, how that position morphed as they entered the White House, and the life he went on to live after the assassination the book offers a window into a contentious, yet revered period in American history.


An extremely personable yet candid account, Sorensen reveals how his personal beliefs and family upbringing informed his approach to politics and the advice he would go on to provide during seminal events like the Cuban Missile Crisis.


And while unapologetic in his idolization of President Kennedy, Sorensen still acknowledges the many mistakes were made along the way, and that despite their closeness the president was still very much his own man, who adlibed when he felt appropriate, and was the primary architect of both the Berlin and University of Washington speeches, addressing aspersions that he had had more of an influence than he really did on the politics of the JFK White House.


For a student of history however, I found Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History to be a great source of insight into the changing nature of politics as television became the primary battleground for American presidential races, as well as the many considerations that go into running such a campaign, and even provides a short section toward the back of the book entitled “Why and How to Run for President,” included by Sorensen having been asked by various presidential hopefuls over the years on advice for their own campaigns.


Given his strength as a writer, the book as expected is eloquently written and moves along efficiently while covering such expansive moments in history.


sitelink cultureaddicthistorynerd. c I once had a brief conversation with Ted Sorensen in a swimming pool where we were both doing laps and realized I had almost no idea who he was.
This recent memoir explained it all, focusing on his years as JFK's top aide but also his work in international law for several decades after.
He's an extremely clear, thoughtful and sharpwitted writer, and I learned a lot about the Kennedy administration as well as general behindthescenes of federal politics.
This was especially interesting to read now, as we are about the enter the homestretch of thePresidential election and welcome the end of the Bush II administration.
Two things Sorensen says that particularly struck me: p," presidential power is primarily moral power, the power to persuade and inspire others by conveying values and ideals.
" Also Sorensen's list of how Kennedy improved his leadership after the Bay of Pigs, including adapting new policies, advisors, processes, and approach to secrecy p.
. The author also provides a shortlist of his impressions of world leaders, from "Most Impressive" to "Most intriguing", "Most Puzzling", and "Most Flamboyant" p.
. And on p.he gives a memo of his advice "For those future presidential candidates among my readers" which, again, makes for great reading in an election year.
.