Bush’s longtime speechwriter leaving his post

[IDemo]

Michael Gerson resigns after seven years to pursue other writing work

Updated: 7:02 a.m. ET June 15, 2006

WASHINGTON - The man who has been putting words in President Bush’s mouth for the past seven years said Wednesday that he is leaving the White House.

Michael Gerson, who went from chief speechwriter in the first term to senior adviser in the second, wants to pursue other writing and policy work, said Bush spokesman Ken Lisaius.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13328568/from/RS.5/

(Wants to pursue non-history genre, spin-doctor medical mystery novels, and other fiction?)

[robbedvoter]

1. I'd say "sci-fi" except the "sci" part must sound dirty to him....

[wordpix2]

2. translation of Gerson's reasons: "Get me off this sinking Titanic!"

[ckramer]

3. LOL - You can only lie for so long!

He can't sleep at night? Booooooo!

[RoseMead]

4. Can you imagine the utter frustration

of being the person responsible for making Dear Leader sound like he's not a complete idiot all the time?

I bet he quit becaue he's got a headache thiiiiiiiiiiis big!

[IDemo]

6. Maybe he's planning on writing word jumble puzzles for the newspapers

Whoops, he's already been doing that!

[IDemo]

19. Got the new novel begun already =>>

"It was a dark. It was a dark and stormy, sorta stormiest dark kinda night. Kinda night you just felt, well, stormer. And darklike."

[RoseMead]

21. LOL n/t

[Mad_Dem_X]

38. LOL!

Well, he's already had experience writing fiction, so he should have quite a nice career ahead of him.

[apnu]

22. Then he failed miserably

I've yet to hear Bush say anything remotely intellegent. I've even seen him screw up saying hello!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The GOP wanted a Dan Quayle as President, and they got a Dan Quayle for President.

[ChickMagic]

23. I've always been of the opinion

that Bush Sr. picked Quayle as his running mate because
he reminded him of his fetal alcohol syndrome son.

[ckramer]

5. Did he write "Bring'em ON!"

Booooooooo!

[elf]

7. Bush Adviser Gerson Plans to Step Down

News Alert 6:23 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Colleagues say departure of former speechwriter, who wrote most of president's public words over last 7 years, will leave huge hole in White House.



For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

[maxsolomon]

8. there is a speechwriter?

if i were bolten & snow, i'd have fired him the second i started work.

not that a retarded monkey would pay any attention to a written speech.

[elf]

9. watch this ....................... :-)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/bushhouse.htm&h=266&w=399&sz=27&tbnid=1_ESDql4HQRygM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=120&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgerson,%2Bbush%2Badviser%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-27,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN

[apnu]

24. LOL Brilliant! (nt)

[Amonester]

48. ** i$ $o... pathetic. Check this:

... as in: "Iraqis, Mr. President, with a 'kee' sound at the end. The Iroquois are an Indian tribe that originated around Lake Ontario. They have no weapons of mass destruction of which we are currently aware."

Where is the: "Neither do Iraqis, Mr. pRe$ident." (??)

[partylessinOhio]

10. Interesting ...

Influential Evangelical

On February 1, 2005, Time Magazine featured "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America", and lists Gerson as the ninth most influential:

The President's Spiritual Scribe: For a White House speechwriter, coining flowery phrases for your boss is less important than accommodating his speaking style and deepest convictions. For Michael Gerson, 40, George W. Bush's chief scribe since the 2000 presidential campaign (he will become a policy adviser in the West Wing), breaking that code meant knowing as much about the New Testament as about Bush's Texas roots. That proved easy. The former journalist shares Bush's devout Christian faith and his view that the role of Providence in human affairs should be reaffirmed in the public square.

Though even some G.O.P. supporters have criticized the President for his regular religious references, such lines are not likely to disappear from his speeches. "Scrubbing public discourse of religious ideas," says Gerson, "would remove one of the main sources of social justice in our history."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Michael_J._Gerson


Thanks, add photo:

[w4rma]

11. And another one bites the dust. (nt)

[Lisa]

12. apparently he and Karen Hughes used to argue over the speeches ...

Both had different ideas about how to portray Bush (who, having no real personality of his own, would agree with the one who was in the room at the time). So often Hughes would go through Gerson's speech and cross out the more flowery passages, and Gerson would try to put that stuff back in. No wonder Bush's speeches end up looking like they've been through a Mixmaster!

[VegasWolf]

13. Yes, they couldn't agree on who to blame, God or Bush, that was

responsible for royally screwing things up.

[Thor_MN]

14. His job must have been hell - nothing but 3 to 4 word sentence fragments

and having to endure *'s "Look!!! I made a poopy!!" smirk at any polysyllabic word that managed to sneak in....

Not that I feel sorry for him, he undoubtedly will be *'s speech writer for eternity for enabling the chimp.

[yardwork]

15. This article is unmitigated bs

Makes it sound like the chimp's evil regime has actually done good - in truth, Gerson wrote the "key words" that kept the evangelicals believing in the evil chimp. Without those key words being burbled by The Great Loss-Leader, who will believe in him now?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/14/AR2006061401893.html?referrer=email

[Divine Discontent]

16. BWAHAHAHA

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13328568/

gershon's evangelical handiwork -

"armies of compassion"

what ludicrous anti-christ bull crap! dropping huge bunker busters ain't no army of compassion, spin it all ya want only the pick up truck, paris hilton lovin, o'leilly watching crowd would buy that crap !!!

armies of compassion... sheesh...

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- CHECK THIS OUT! Top Pro-Dem 06 & 08 STICKERS & Anti-Bush

[wordpix2]

20. LOL: "soft bigotry of low expectations." What other expectations can we

have of the chimp? Soft bigotry? How about, "loud outrage?"

[Thor_MN]

47. "Low spark of High heel boys"

Wonder what Gershon was listening to when he wrote that....

[coalition_unwilling]

40. Backward Christian Soldiers :) (n/t)

[Divine Discontent]

46. BEAUTIFUL name for the Bush-mis-administration!

that really is a biting catch-phrase... kudos! :)

[goforit]

17. So this is the guy responsible for George's tongue twisters.

[Up2Late]

18. Here's Reuters take on who this guy is, not much new though.

Top Bush policy adviser leaving White House

Wed Jun 14, 2006 09:59 PM ET

By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President George W. Bush's top policy advisers and former chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, is stepping down to pursue other opportunities, a White House spokesman said on Wednesday.

Gerson was Bush's chief speechwriter during the president's first term and was promoted to policy and strategic adviser in 2005. He had been crafting major speeches for Bush since joining the former Texas governor's presidential campaign in 1999.

Gerson, listed as one of the 25 most influential Evangelical Christians in America by Time magazine last year, is credited with helping Bush give voice to his "compassionate conservative" philosophy, a central theme of his presidential campaigns.

"It is compassionate to actively help our fellow citizens in need. It is conservative to insist on responsibility and on results. And with this hopeful approach, we can make a real difference in people's lives," Bush said in an April 2002 speech in California.

(more at link)

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=12533339&src=rss/politicsNews>

[ChickMagic]

25. Well, it can only go downhill from here

What if he hires Tim LeHaye to write his speeches? Ever' one but me will be left behind!!!

[Javaman]

26. Hell I could be that morons* speech writer...

Me: Okay mr. prez* just make sure you insert Terror, 9/11, fear, Iraq and now Iran every 3rd or 4th word.

moron*: what do I say inbetween?

Me: just make up some bullshit like you usually do.

[LeftHander]

27. Got sick of writing monosyllabic speeches for a moron...

Over and over and over again.


Show shoe she cure it e re form is hard work. Pry vat eyes a tion of show shoe she cure it e is not bad. It is good. Good for a mary cans. We need to save more mon e for our re tire ment. It is hard work re tire ment is.

His new job is writing traffic signs....

[soup]

28. Maybe a career in comedy.

Anyone remember that hilarious video - Andy Somebody? - as **'s speechwriter? One of the snips was at one of the debates "hold it..." "hold it...." "hold it..." "Now! talk!"

[bobthedrummer]

29. He gave us "axis of evil"-and he gave the idea that God put Bush

in the WH to Bush.
This Guardian Special Report adds to the background.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1798602,00.html

[katty]

30. Top Aide Michael Gerson Leaving the White House

more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/14/AR2006061401893_pf.html

Bush's Favorite Author Leaving The White House
Top Aide Michael Gerson Knew Just How to Address the President

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 15, 2006; A03


Michael J. Gerson, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers and the author of nearly all of his most famous public words over the past seven years, plans to step down in the next couple of weeks in a decision that colleagues believe will leave a hole in the White House at a critical period.

Gerson said in an interview that he has been talking with Bush for many months about leaving for writing and other opportunities but waited until the White House political situation stabilized somewhat. "It seemed like a good time," he said. "Things are back on track a little. Some of the things I care about are on a good trajectory."

Since first joining the presidential campaign as chief speechwriter in 1999, Gerson has evolved into one of the most central figures in Bush's inner circle, often considered among the three or four aides closest to the president. Beyond shaping the language of the Bush presidency, Gerson helped set its broader direction.

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. But, but I thought everything was going

great again over at the WH.

Maybe the next speechwriter could at least know how to write English?

[fshrink]

32. Yeah. Probably goes on to advise the successor.

[BrklynLiberal]

33. HUH? I

waited until the White House political situation stabilized somewhat. "It seemed like a good time," he said. "Things are back on track a little. Some of the things I care about are on a good trajectory."

[shain from kane]

34. Rat: "Goodbye, ship." n/t

[dbt]

35. WHAT famous public words?

Um? Errr? Ahhh? Peeance freeance? Catapult the propaganda? Thoo my furity?

:rofl:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[RedStateShame]

36. I wonder...

what's he about to get indicted for?

[knitter4democracy]

37. Really. Interesting . . .

Gerson is extremely important. I wonder why he's leaving--is it that he's not listened to anymore, feels like he's already been replaced, or is it that he knows too much and just can't stomach it anymore?

[unda cova brutha]

39. another one bites the dust

go figure for the most corrupt administration ever.

[steely]

41. Shithead had a speech writer? Who knew?

On edit:
Did I mention he's an ASSHOLE? (I'm not referring to the speech writer mind you.)

[BR_Parkway]

42. He got bored reworking the same 6 phrases over and over into something

that could be stumbled through and called a speech.

[PittPoliSci]

43. is he taking the crayons he writes them with as well?

[Jack Rabbit]

44. Perhaps he want to find honest work

!!

[aaronbees]

45. May he have a troubled soul...

Fiction will be second nature to this guy. Good riddance -- another rat off the ship.