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Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Lopate to Interview 'Bitch' 

Dawkins writes:

Dear Mr. Lopate,

I enjoyed your conversation with Richard Clarke this afternoon.

You mentioned during the program that you'll have Bush adviser Karen Hughes as a guest on tomorrow's show, in part to provide her an opportunity to try to rebut some of the claims made by Mr. Clarke.

As per the pattern followed so far by Bush officials and surrogates, one line of attack that Hughes will probably pursue to try to diminish the seriousness of Clarke's allegations is to suggest greed or opportunism as a motive for his writing his book.

(Scott McClellan has made this charge, and, as portrayed in this New York Times article, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has also accused Clarke of "profiteering" with the release of his book.

I hope that you will give Ms. Hughes a fair opportunity to air such an attack, and in case she does, I hope you might be able to ask her a question as well:

After spending the past many months as an adviser to Bush from her home in Texas, Hughes is now returning to the spotlight with a new book of her own, "Ten Minutes From Normal." She's also currently on a circuit that earns her $50,000 per speech she delivers on her participation in the administration and campaign. In fact, the Bush campaign's communications director told the New York Times this weekend that Hughes is "involved enough in the campaign message to incorporate that into all of her speeches."

Frist's hypocrisy in accusing Clarke of "profiteering" is quite obvious. Frist played on public fears and cashed in on his position in government when he published "When Every Moment Counts: What You Need to Know About Bioterrorism from the Senate's Only Doctor" in 2002.

In case Hughes seeks to discredit Clarke for cashing in on his former position in government, it might be appropriate to ask her to explain the ways in which her book deal and lucrative speaking schedule -- rolled out while she remains in government -- are different.

Thanks so much for your great work.

Dawkins



Blicero adds: for a ha-hoot, check out some of the titles that "customers" would recommend "instead of or in addition to" Bill Frist's book.


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