Speechwriting is a recognized profession in politics and business, particularly in the English-speaking world where speeches are central to communication. Drawing on archival research into the Kennedy–Sorensen model of State of the Union writing and findings from the author’s survey on contemporary Speechwriting in British and American politics and business: a study of the practice, profession, and speechwriting ethics, this paper highlights how the close collaboration once exemplified by JFK and Ted Sorensen no longer reflects contemporary practice. Today speechwriters often lack access to leaders and policy deliberations, yet their communication expertise and media awareness remain vital to shaping and conveying policy.

The analysis of the archival documents illustrates that speechwriting in the George H. W. Bush White House was decentralized and responsibility for crafting Bush Senior’s State of the Unions (SOTUs) was diffused among a team of different writers each year. George H. W. Bush would not use his SOTUs as an opportunity to assert his legislative leadership. The preferred structure of Bush Senior’s SOTU was a thematic, not a programmatic speech. The study concludes that a speechwriting process that fails to balance the ceremonial and deliberative aspects of the SOTU undermines the president’s opportunity to assert his legislative leadership.