“While UN ambassador, I wrote memos to President Clinton when I thought that the normal decision-making process needed a jolt. The papers were returned with Clinton’s comments scribbled on the side of the pages; at times, I felt as if I were back in school when I looked to see what the president had to say. Often, I didn’t learn much because Clinton’s writing is so tricky to decipher. At least he didn’t correct misspellings, as Jimmy Carter meticulously did.”
From Memo to the President Elect, a lively new book from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Among her other observations: “America has had limited success when declaring war against nouns — such as terror, poverty, drugs, disease, or inflation. If we are serious about defeating Al Qaeda, we must be more precise.”
More at Powell’s Books.