Obama's Chief Speechwriter Quits White House

Jon Favreau, the speechwriter described by President Obama as his "mind reader" and one of the youngest chief presidential speechwriters in recent memory, will be leaving the White House next month to work as a screenwriter.

Jon Favreau (Photo Credit: AP)

The Washington Post reports:

We confirmed, via our colleague Chris Cillizza, who got it from a senior White House official, a Los Angeles Times report Tuesday that Favreau is leaving his job March 1, maybe to do some screenwriting, though he’ll be staying in the D.C. area.

We wrote back Dec. 4 that the White House buzz was that Favreau was heading out soon, likely after the inauguration. Then in January, we reported that his deputy, Cody Keenan, one of the original team of Obama speechwriters, was likely to succeed him, which is the case.

Keenan, the Times reported, is taking the lead in writing the State of the Union address Obama is to deliver next week.[...]

Even in the “no drama Obama” White House, Favreau became something of celebrity in town, being named by People one of the world’s most beautiful people. Didn’t hurt that he also dated actress Rashida Jones, the daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton.

While there was that shirtless beer pong incident in a Georgetown bar in 2010 and a long profile in GQ in June 2011, Favreau’s seemed a bit more low-key of late.

So with the man who crafted "Yes, we can" leaving the White House, what will the President's speeches end up sounding like? Time will tell.