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Ancient Orators

There's a lot of speechifying going on these days, with President Bush and Sen. John Kerry traveling around making their stump speeches. Has it always been this way? NPR's Scott Simon asks Weekend Edition classics commentator Elaine Fantham what oratory was like in the days before teleprompters.

Copyright 2004 NPR

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.