The role of presidential speechwriting has had a new focus and challenge since 9/11," said Michael Gerson, an op-ed columnist for the Washington Post who penned most of President George W. Bush's speeches from 2001 to 2006, in a conversational discussion at the Cornell Club in New York City, Nov. 19. The reason, he noted, was because "the stage for competition had shifted toward the realm of ideological struggles."

The discussion, led by Joseph Pascal, president of the Oxonian Society, whose mission is to stimulate provocative dialogue with the world's most interesting minds, centered on Gerson's simultaneous responsibilities at the White House -- he served as both chief speechwriter and senior policy adviser to the president.

For example, as a policy adviser, Gerson sought more funding to fight AIDS and a plan to end the Darfur genocide. He recalled, "I used speechwriting as a tool to promote global development in that context."

In December 2004, a heart attack forced Gerson to reduce his workload. "Though the president kept me involved in all major speeches, I wasn't looking at each and every speech. It gave me the opportunity to pursue more policy-oriented work. I traveled to … Mozambique, Darfur and Ethiopia and found that my expertise in issues related to AIDS and malaria coincided with the president's policy interests," he related.

Some of Gerson's most significant speeches were delivered after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Columbia shuttle disaster. One of his most noteworthy and controversial phrases is the "axis of evil" -- referring to Iraq, Iran and North Korea -- in Bush's 2002 State of the Union address.

"Axis does not refer to a supposed relationship between Iran, Iraq and North Korea," he said. "It points to the linkage between terrorism and outlawed states in the context of the use of weapons of mass destruction." With regard to evil, Gerson said, "I have lived through 9/11. In my view, groups that rejoice over such destruction define 'evil.'"

When asked if he could have been an effective speechwriter had he disagreed with Bush's opinions, he said: "There are two categories of disagreement. If you argue on the level of how a policy should actually be carried out, you tell yourself that it's ultimately his speech. However, if there is a fundamental disagreement of moral perspective, then, yes, it becomes very difficult to advance in the job. Thankfully, such was not the case with me and the president."

The talk was followed by a book signing of Gerson's recent book, "Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America's Ideals (And Why They Deserve to Fail if They Don't)."

Kanika Arora is a freelance writer in New York City.