Eli Saslow’s Washington Post profile of Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter, 27 year-old Jon Favreau, lays the groundwork for Favreau’s DC media persona.

Young? Check.
Guitar hero, text messaging, Red Bull, rumpled and unshaven, mildly inappropriate partying.

Successful? Check.
Quick on his feet, trusted by the president-elect, associated with the best speeches of the last year.

Slightly in over his head? Check.
Air mattress on the floor, mild freakout moments, not looking forward to being the boss.

Quintessentially writerly? Check.
Starbucks, mindmeld with his boss, consults the shamans of the profession, eager someday to write in his own voice.

Wunderkind who still keeps it real – this is Jon Favreau, your next head of White House speechwriting. And in four or five or six years when he leaves the White House to write his memoirs in his early thirties, this will be the enduring image of the man behind the president’s words.

Mike Gerson, chief speechwriter in George W. Bush’s first term, had a media persona, too. The president’s intellect. The deep, bespectacled, caring fellow who brought decency and compassion to a bunch of political troglodytes. And of course he had Starbucks.

As every new president prepares his inauguration address, the press peeks behind the curtain to see who’s stringing the words together. This puts chief speechwriters in the unusual (perhaps uncomfortable) position of being mildly famous even as their very nature tends to be self-diminishing and awkward.

But it does help set the tone for the Administration’s speechwriting operation.

Gerson’s reputation as an intellectual, friendly, well-respected writer and honest broker benefited our whole office. Though some have disagreed.

It’s not clear yet how Favreau’s persona will impact his team. Will his youth and energy evoke the overall model of an Administration breathing new life into Washington? Or will it seem out of place as the revolutionary candidate Obama becomes a more sober President Obama?

Perhaps more importantly, will Favreau be seen as a communications and policy driver like Gerson, or will he be viewed as an understudy to his authorial president? Barack Obama himself may believe that his speechwriters are no match for his own wordsmithing ability.

We’ll know more as we learn how the inaugural address comes together, and when we hear the finished product.