Some of the valedictories in the media for Michael Gerson, as he leaves the Bush administration, characterize him as a “speechwriter turned policy advisor” to the president. I haven’t followed his career all that closely but, if that is an accurate description of his trajectory in the Bush administration, it strikes me as particularly apt. Speechwriting and policy-making are very different things in most administrations, Bush, however, is a man whose rationale for a decision never goes beyond merely stating with those beady mock-earnest eyes and folksy drawl that he is sure it is the best choice. Convincing the nation of the wisdom of a policy is supposed to rest entirely on conveying the depth of his conviction. This is the problem with faith-based decision-making; he doesn’t have a clue that policy-making consists of anything more than the slick delivery. So who better to make policy than his chief speechwriter?

Unfortunately, Gerson was considered the chief architect of compassionate conservatism and the ‘conscience’ of the White House to some… so I am afraid we will have to consider him a failure as a policy maker.

Jay Leno: “President Bush’s number one speech writer, a man named Michael Gerson, resigned yesterday after seven years writing speeches for the President. It’s already having an effect on Mr. Bush. Like, after turning in his resignation, Mr. Bush wished him the goodest of luck.”