Scully's Profile on Mike

It seems that every time we turn on the news we hear some sort of criticism of the Bush administration. When I began reading this article I thought it was going to spotlight one of Bush’s top speechwriters and commend him for his work. The article cites credible newspapers praising Mike Gearson as a powerful and articulate writer.

The deeper I got in to the article the more I realized that the profile was not praising Mike Gearson, but was actually attempting to break his glorified reputation. The article, at times, made him appear like an attention grabbing evangelical.

I appreciate this twist in Scully’s writing. He wanted to create an accurate portrayal of Mike’s character and dispel the myth that he is the sole contributor to Bush’s speeches pointing out specifically that he didn’t create the famous line “Axis of evil” that he often takes credit for.

However, Scully does not use his article as an opportunity to bash Mike. Instead, he paints the picture of the men working together and collaborating on speeches. He points out their individual strengths and makes them appear as a team. He goes on to say that he likes Mike as a person and admires him.

After reading Scully’s article I hope to imitate his ability to write a truthful and accurate profile. He writes a compelling article that keeps the reader guessing what he will say next. which is crucial when trying to hold a readers attention.