NYT: White House pressures media to ignore Kelley's book

[quaoar]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/politics/campaign/09book.html

Book Unflattering to Bush Draws His Campaign's Fire
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Published: September 9, 2004

Anticipating a barrage of unflattering accusations and innuendo about President Bush's personal life in a soon-to-be-published book by the celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, the Bush campaign has opened a wave of advance counterstrikes intended to undermine her credibility.

A representative of the White House recently called Neal Shapiro, president of NBC News, to discourage that network from broadcasting interviews with Ms. Kelley about the book on its "Today'' program and on its MSNBC cable program "Hardball With Chris Matthews,'' a network executive said.

The Republican Party distributed a memorandum this week to conservative radio talk show hosts listing tawdry, unproved assertions in Ms. Kelley's previous books, especially her biography of Nancy Reagan. And Ed Gillespie, the party chairman, sent a letter to supporters portraying her book as a tool of the Democrats' campaign.

"This book is fiction and deserves to be treated as such,'' said Christine Iverson, a Republican spokeswoman.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Cutting close to the bone I would say

Only a monster bush wh would be crazy enough to go after something like this.

[cthrumatrix]

10. shit...meet fan

[papau]

11. Seems unimpeachable 3rd party source says Kitty telling truth

But seems unimpeachable 3rd source says Sharon lies, Kitty truth teller
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/230275p-19

Kitty: More support for Bush coke use

Sharon Bush tried to back away yesterday from quotes Kitty Kelley attributes to her in her new slice-and-dice book on the Bush family - but she may have backed into a smoking gun.

..."I categorically deny that I ever told Kitty Kelley that George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David - or that I ever saw him use cocaine at Camp David. The one time I met in person with Kitty Kelley, she mentioned drug use at Camp David. I responded by saying something along the lines of, 'Who would say such a thing?'"

...But Sharon has one small problem: There was a third party at the lunch, an unimpeachable source who agreed to speak with us on condition of anonymity, who says Kelley's quotes are accurate.

"We met at the Chelsea Bistro on April 1, 2003," says our insider. "It was a very long lunch. Sharon was talking about affairs in the Bush family ... very dysfunctional. She said they talk about family values, but they don't practice what they preach.

"Then Kitty raised the drug issue," our source continues. "Kitty, who can make a rock talk, said: 'I know about the drugs. I know that W did drugs at Camp David during his father's presidency.'

"Sharon agreed. She said, 'Absolutely. That's all true.'"

[Old and In the Way]

2. Well, the Republicans are experts in the subject of fiction.

But, in this case, they are oddly wrong. This book has been completely vetted on it's factual content. Funny how the Republicans whine about all these lies, yet never can refute them with hard facts to the contrary.

[0rganism]

4. Fahrenheit 9/11 was "completely vetted" as well....

...but the same talking points apply.

Of course, when it's "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" coming down the pipe, we're expected to give them a fair hearing because they raise "important issues of character" or some such crapola.

[Darby]

7. Rebups whined that SBVFT had a right to "free speech"

Well so does Kitty Kelley

[pacalo]

3. I expect the Today show to cancel the interview...

I stopped watching it when Dubya shoved his way into the WH; they're one of the biggest suck-up's to the BFEE. However, I'm curious to see if "Hardball" will go ahead with it.

It's interesting that only NBC was mentioned in the article.

[Leilani]

6. Maybe they were the only ones willing to admit

that the WH was calling around to the media.

Larry King has had Kelley on a bunch of times, but he is not interviewing her for this.

Larry King decision or CNN or both?

[pacalo]

13. This strong-arming reminds me of the outing of Valerie Plame.

[Carla in Ca]

5. John at Americablog has a copy of an Ed Gillespie

letter e-mailed to all */C supporters titled "Brace Yourselves".
It is a great read.

[LTR]

9. Found a link

http://americablog.blogspot.com/archives/2004_09_05_americablog_archive.html#109470027292432209

Gillespie is such a weasel!

[John_H]

8. Many whores will conply: I bet CNN is first. n/t

[dmr]

12. Sounds like they got to Sharon

forcing her to make a retraction. Kelly has never been successfully sued, that speaks volumes! I suppose Kelly, Random House, Gethers et al, will be subjected to an IRS audit soon.

In a back and forth yesterday, Sharon Bush, the former wife of the president's brother Neil and a central source for the book, issued a pre-emptive retraction after a British newspaper printed an article on the book, quoting Ms. Bush as saying that Mr. Bush used cocaine at Camp David while his father was in office.

"I categorically deny that I ever told Kitty Kelley that George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David or that I ever saw him use cocaine at Camp David," Ms. Bush said in an unsworn statement distributed by her lawyer, David Berg. "Although there have been tensions between me and various members of the Bush family, I cannot allow this falsehood to go unchallenged."

Doubleday, the book's publisher and part of the Random House division of Bertelsmann, said it stood by Ms. Kelley's reporting. The publisher said in a statement that Ms. Kelly met with Ms. Bush for a four-hour lunch on April 1, 2003, where an unnamed third party heard the conversation, and that Ms. Kelley's editor, Peter Gethers, discussed the same material with Ms. Bush over the phone.

Lou Colasuonno, a former publicist for Ms. Bush, confirmed that he was the third party at the lunch and contradicted her denial. "I have not seen the book, I have only seen news reports," Mr. Colasuonno said. "According to what I have seen, what has been reported, I would not dispute that."

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

14. Ex Publicist Of Sharon Bush Says Kitty Kelley's Book Is Accurate

According to this story in the International Herald Tribune, Lou Colasuonno, who is the ex publicist for Sharon Bush, was the other person present at the 4-hour lunch when Sharon told her story to Kitty Kelley. He says that all of that which has been reported about the book is true.

http://www.iht.com/articles/538141.html

"......Lou Colasuonno, a former publicist for Sharon Bush, confirmed that he was the third party present at the lunch and contradicted Sharon Bush's denial. "I have not seen the book; I have only seen news reports," he said. "According to what I have seen, what has been reported, I would not dispute that." ....."