secrets

Mark Halperin Wins the Race to Ruin O Author’s Anonymity

Time’s Mark Halperin reports that he has identified Mark Salter, a longtime strategist and speechwriter for John McCain, as the anonymous author of O: A Presidential Novel. It was “Page Six,” though, who guessed Salter over a week ago. But maybe we should have figured it out first. After all, here’s what our own Joe Hagan wrote in a New York profile of John McCain last July:

After the chaos and dysfunction of the campaign, Salter made an important personal decision: He would continue to write speeches for McCain, and collect a check, but he would no longer fight McCain on political matters. He wanted to try his hand at writing fiction.

O, Mark Salter!! [Page/Time]

O, Mark Salter!! [Page/Time]

Mark Halperin Wins the Race to Ruin O Author’s Anonymity