Yes we can.

They said this day would never come.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Simple, yet profoundly moving phrases from Barack Obama have captivated untold millions in the historic 2008 race for the White House.

Even the most ardent opponents cannot deny his remarkable penchant for oration, as these magical words seem to come straight from Obama’s soul.

Given the Illinois Senator’s fresh-faced look and relative youth (he’s 46), perhaps it isn’t surprising that his chief speechwriter is … wait for it … 26!

Jon Favreau, 26, is the chief speechwriter for Barack Obama.

Having worked on John Kerry’s presidential bid in 2004, Jon Favreau was hired by Obama in 2005. According to a New York Times piece, he’s become a key campaign component and one of the individuals most trusted by Obama.

Favreau’s mission is to channel the very fabric of Barack Obama — his idealism, beliefs, sentences and phrases - in every speech he writes.

It helps that Barack Obama conjures up memories of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., but still, it’s not an easy task.

Try to imagine “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country…” coming out of the mouth of, say, Ron Paul.

Welcome to the challenge of speechwriting.

Continue reading the New York Times’ feature on Favreau here …