All presidential speeches are collaborative efforts. No one person can meet
the needs of a president, who must often speak several times a day to
different audiences. Most major speeches, such as the State of the Union
Address and those about policy initiatives and decisions, must travel
through the cabinet agencies as well as numerous advisers. In Gerson's case,
the issue isn't whether the president's speeches were fashioned by a team,
but whether Gerson took the work of others, made them his own and took the
credit to boost his profile. He has sufficient knowledge and talent not to
plagiarize others.
I have had people plagiarize my work. Rather than saying nothing, or waiting
to write an article like Matthew Scully, I immediately contacted the
individuals and demanded that they publicly repent. Gerson tells me that
Scully never spoke to him about any of the things he writes in the Atlantic
article.
The man Scully has profiled is not the Mike Gerson I know. Over two decades,
one would expect to see signs of an overactive ego and the sin of pride if
they exist. I never did. At the 2000 Republican Convention in Philadelphia,
I saw Mike at a reception sponsored by National Review. Knowing he had
written Gov. George W. Bush's acceptance speech, I asked him if he would be
in the hall for its delivery. He said he would not, preferring to walk alone
outside. He might have embraced the glory. Instead, he deflected it to the
nominee.
That was one of many examples I have witnessed of his humility and
character. I don't know what motivated Scully to write what he did. It can
only help him among the Bush-haters. It can't hurt Mike Gerson, who is a man
of integrity and one whose faith, intellectual curiosity and example I
admire.