Ford speechwriter opens kimono

Speechwriter tell-all books: You can set your calendar by them.

Craig Smith’s book seems a bit milder-mannered than most, however.

Confessions of a Presidential Speechwriter tells how Smith got a job with Gerald Ford’s administration by writing a letter criticizing a lackluster speech. He wrote for Ford for a year, and went on to write for George H.W. Bush during his unsuccessful race against Ronald Reagan in 1980. "I was in the closet about my homosexuality," he told the Orange County Register. "Working in the Republican Party, it was basically a don't-ask, don't-tell policy. There was a little ambiguity when you couldn't be yourself to keep your job."