A YOUNG WORDSMITH'S METEORIC RISE

When he joined the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign, Jon Favreau was just 23 years old. The graduate of an obscure New England college had the joe job of putting together audio clips to help campaign strategists stay on top of issues. But as Kerry’s campaign fizzled, his staff thinned out, and Kerry needed a speech writer. Favreau was chosen “even though I had no previous experience.” Impressed by what he did, Barack Obama’s staff hired Fav­reau to write speeches for the Illinois senator, and then the boy in the buzzed haircut became Obama’s presidential campaign speech writer. Favreau (not the same guy as the Jon Favreau who appeared in the movie Iron Man) crafted Obama’s Nov. 4 victory speech, calling on knowledge of speeches by Abraham Lincoln to set the victor’s call for bipartisan co-operation. For his youthful way with words, Favreau, known to colleagues as “Favs,” is widely seen as having a place in Obama’s administration. He’s come a long way fast.