My Friend, Mike Gerson

In the mid-1990s, I was the policy director of Empower America, a think tank whose co-directors were Jack Kemp, William Bennett, and Jeane Kirkpatrick. A colleague told me that there was a person writing speeches for Jack he thought I might like to meet. He introduced me to Michael J. Gerson.

Mike and I bonded immediately. Ours was an acquaintance that quickly grew into a friendship that soon became one of the most cherished relationships of my life.

Mike Gerson died early yesterday morning of cancer. He was 58 years old.

Mike was one of the most gifted writers of his generation, a presidential speechwriter for George W. Bush who became a twice-weekly columnist for . He wrote on politics and faith, and books, the , , his , and . Mike loved words, and he wrote like an