This is one of those "essays I fear to write." I fear that those who are passionate admirers of President Trump will take umbrage at my notes about his recent speech at CPAC; and that those who are appalled at the mere mention of his name, will be even angrier at me than they usually are — as in this essay I treat him seriously as a Presidential candidate.

As many know, I used to be a political consultant — for President Clinton's re-election campaign in 1996, and for Vice President Gore's 2000 Presidential campaign.

Before I was a consultant, I was a White House spouse; my then-husband was a speechwriter for both President Clinton and for Mrs Clinton. I became familiar, from an observer's distance, with the intense cycle of Presidential speechwriting and revision.

Then I became a consultant, and a participant in observing the speechwriting process myself.

Though I signed NDAs, and thus can't discuss the details of my work for either campaign, I can speak generally about what I learned; about what can be helpful for a candidate for the Presidency, and about the common stumbling-blocks that face all candidates for that US office.