“It's been so long since a talented writer last occupied the White Hous...” — Jonathan Raban Quote

“It's been so long since a talented writer last occupied the White House; no wonder, then, that American writers have been among the most prominent of all the demographic groups claiming a piece of Barack Obama for themselves.”

“Critics? Don't talk to me of critics! You think some jackanapes journalist, his soul eaten away by the maggots of jealousy and failure, has anything worthwhile to say of art? I don't.”

“The north-south line of 'the mountains,' meaning the Cascade Range, forty miles east of Seattle, is a rigid political frontier.”

“Barack Obama's name will be the one on the peace prize, but his speech and his manner could become a gift for generations to come.”

“If you want to understand what is going on in the White House today, you have to begin with Barack Obama.”

“I never covered Barack Obama watching ESPN at night, because he wasn't making life or death choices based on the basketball games.”