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• What Now? Your Inaugural Speech

  Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  
  The very best a new president can hope for is a soaring inaugural speech that draws the nation together in hope and common purpose, and earns respect from a listening world. Only a few have topped that bar, as Stephen Hess explains.

• What Now? The Inauguration

  Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Filled with symbol and ceremony, the whole world will be watching as never before. Stephen Hess discusses how former presidents have chosen music, poetry, representatives of the clergy and family bibles to set the scene.

• What Now? The Oval Office

  Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Will the new president’s Oval Office be a room for pomp and circumstance, or a personal study where the serious work of government is done? Stephen Hess shows that past presidents have taken different approaches.

• What Now? Confirmation Battles

  Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  As the capital has grown more partisan in recent years, confirmation battles over high-level appointments have grown increasingly fractious and fraught with peril for appointees. Stephen Hess advises the new president on how to navigate the process.

• What Now? Choosing Your Cabinet

  Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  The Washington world is full of talented, accomplished people whose expertise in their fields is unquestioned – yet many fail as cabinet officers at the pinnacle of power. Stephen Hess advises the new president on where to look for cabinet talent.

• What Now? Your Speechwriters

  Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Will the soaring rhetoric of President-elect Obama's campaign speeches translate to the White House, where he has named 26-year-old wordsmith Jon Favreau to head his speechwriting staff? Former Eisenhower speechwriter and longtime presidential aide Stephen Hess discusses the role of the speechwriter in delivering the chief executive's vision to the people.

• What Now? Your Congressional Relations Chief

  Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  President-elect Obama has chosen Phil Schiliro, a veteran of the Senate and House of Representatives, to be his liaison to Capitol Hill. Stephen Hess, author of What Do We Do Now?, says that Schiliro’s long congressional experience and low profile have been hallmarks of success for his predecessors.

• What Now? Picking Your Press Secretary

  Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Many new presidents pick their campaign spokesperson to handle the White House press corps. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, as Stephen Hess advises in this installment of What Do We Do Now?.

• What Now? Staffing the White House

  Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  In this second installment of What Do We Do Now?, his new workbook for the president-elect, Stephen Hess advises the winner to start staffing the White House right away, from the chief of staff, counsel, press secretary and speech writers.

• What Now? Getting Started

  Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  The new president has just 77 days between the election and the inauguration to prepare for taking over the highest office in the land. This excerpt from Stephen Hess’s book offers tips on where he should start.