A shift in the nation's presidential political landscape over the last three decades has not been a good experience, a former presidential speechwriter said Monday.

Ted Sorensen, speechwriter and adviser to President John F. Kennedy, said political campaigns have become focused on negativity and the country's voting body has adopted a very bi-partisan set of beliefs.

"I regret that," he said. "That's not the way John F. Kennedy ran for president."

Sorensen, who began working with Kennedy in 1953, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale ballrooms. After his speech, he will be signing copies of his book, "Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History."

Heading into November's presidential election, many people have begun to compare U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, to Kennedy, and Sorensen said it's a fair comparison.

"I think there's no question that Obama is more like Kennedy than any candidate since, from either party, other than Robert Kennedy," he said.

Kennedy ran for office at age 43 - four years younger than Obama - and many people questioned his inexperience and youth.

Both men challenged societal standards in terms of demographics, as well, Sorensen said. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, overcame religious obstacles while Obama is fighting to overcome racial ones, he said.

Upbringings also play a role in their similarities, as both men spent parts of their lives living abroad. These experiences living in other countries provide a better perception of the United States' role in the global society, Sorensen said.

"I think he (Obama) has the judgment Kennedy had, and judgment is the simple-most important quality to have in the White House," he said.

Sorensen also noted that Obama has been able to accomplish a goal many candidates have failed at - attracting young voters to politics.

"Young people for a long time have been disillusioned, cynical and dropping out of politics," he said.

adam.testa@thesouthern.com / 351-5031