Book Unflattering to Bush Draws His Campaign's Fire

[papau]

Seems White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett 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,'" and produced an UNSWORN statement by Sharon Bush that she "never told Kitty Kelley that George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David or that I ever saw him use cocaine at Camp David," - of course WP's Howard Kurtz focuses on the unsworn statement.

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

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

nticipating 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 book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," is not scheduled for publication until next week, but it has already become a subject of intense interest in Washington as word seeped out that it could contain salacious disclosures about Mr. Bush and his father, less than two months before the election.<snip>

[donco6]

1. Fiction, huh? Sorta like the SBVT?

I think she should get equal time to them, at least.

[papau]

10. Seems unimpeachable 3rd party says Kitty is a truth teller

And it seems unimpeachable 3rd source says Sharon retraction is a lie, Kitty is a 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.'"

[Nickster]

2. Doesn't it just warm your heart

to hear them responding to allegations for once? Quite frankly, I could care less if the book is truthful, half-truthful, total bunk. Just let them waste their time on several fronts trying to debunk stuff. Eat up them resources.}(

[grannylib]

6. Amen to that. Keep the curveballs comin', and Chimpy et all swattin' away

and gettin' all defensive and mean. Show their true nature - whiny, hypocritical, dish-it-out-but-can't-take-it bullies.

[jumpstart33]

3. Idiots. The more they slam it the more people will want to read it.

I love it!!

[lunarboy13]

4. Hopefully, this book will have an impact...

And I'm not talking about whether the allegations in the book are true or not. Rather, this seems to already have the Bush campaign's attention. They are now fighting off allegations brought forth by the Kelley book as well as the "Texans for Truth". John Kerry had a similar problem with the Swifties, he was fighting them and not Bush.

With Bush fighting other battles on other fronts, perhaps now is the time for Kerry to really charge forward with major attacks on the economy, health care, education, and Iraq. And by major, I mean hard-hitting, TV sound-byte, large-font headline, Limbaugh-boiling blood attacks!

[ewagner]

5. Raises a couple of interesting questions

Like:

Who leaked and/or documented that Neal Shapiro was called?

What representative of the White House called Shapiro?

What, exactly, does it mean to discourage the network from broadcasting interviews with Kelly?

Sounds to me like we're talking RICCO here. Racketeering and blackmail.

Sounds like a Rove Specialty.

[grannylib]

7. Excellent points; I'm with you in betting on Rove-r the Attack Dog.

[SEpatriot]

9. Can I call NBC to discourage them from covering Bush's lies?

What a load of nonsense "discourage," indeed. These people are heavy-handed fascists who think they can say and do anything and then suppress anyone who disagrees with them. So what if its bunk? Time to pay the piper. If rumors and innuendo are good enough to slander John Kerry, then let the mud-fest began. Remember who started it.

[Ducks In A Row]

8. an unsworn statement by sharon? oh yeah, that means...

absolutely nothing!

:D

[Zuni]

11. You know, this book probably has a lot of crap and myths in it

but it is what the GOP deserves after the constant barrage of nonsense and filth during the Clinton years and the SBVT smear campaign.