Writer who secretly taped Bush wants to give tapes to president

[underpants]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/usbushtapes

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US writer who secretly recorded telephone conversations with George W. Bush in the late 1990s wants to give the tapes to the US president, a US cable network said.


Doug Wead, a one-time spiritual adviser to Bush, cancelled an appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball" talk show and apologized for doing so in a letter to the network on Tuesday. The letter was posted on the program's website Wednesday.


"It seems the better part of wisdom for me to forgo television for a time," Wead wrote. "It would only add to the distraction I have caused to the president's important and historic work."

"I am asking my attorney to direct any future proceeds from the book to charity and to find the best way to vet these tapes and get them back to the president to whom they belong. History can wait," he wrote.

[Walt Starr]

1. I wonder what they threatened him with?

and I wonder if they'll make good on their promise not to kill him if he hands over the tapes?

[Beetwasher]

9. This Guy Is Working Hand in Hand W/ Rove

I would think that would be obvious...

The tapes are in no way damaging to Bush, and are a blatant attempt to make him more likeable and moderate seeimg. "I won't kick the gays!" Yeah, right...

I mean, give me a break. You think this guy got anywhere near Bush in '98 with a taperecorder and no one knew about it? Puhleeze!

[Massachusetts]

16. You are correct Sir!

Beetwasher is correct, don't waste time on the obvious.:thumbsup:

[Piperay]

35. I agree, those tapes were so phony

I don't believe for a minute that they weren't totally scripted. Chimp's comments always show him in a positive light and he never admits to drug use, only "trying" it. That phony crap about setting an example for the children :puke: also the other excerpts about how great his pop was and how the worst punishment was knowing he disappointed poppy...OH PLEASE! :eyes:

[SoCalDemGrrl]

32. Smells like Rove - an innocuous distraction from l'affair Gannon!!

[Stand and Fight]

2. BFEE

That's about all I can say about that... I think someone was paid a visit.

[underpants]

3. Walt and Stand that is the same initial reaction for me too

Mr.Wead might be very worried about being history.

[bluedog]

5. I don't

I think it was all a game to begin with...theres nothing in those tapes that Hatfield didn't write about..it was a distraction to get Gannon off the front pages.......roves moved his chess piece.

[jdj]

14. me too.

and this mea culpa is nauseating.

if he really had a conscience he would have handed them over to Bush before all this press garbage.

[Stand and Fight]

22. Damn good point.

I'd have to say that I can see where you're coming from, as it had been something that I had wondered about myself. Entirely likely.

[Selteri]

23. with a proper 'presidential assasination' plot

to uncover as a follow up.

[papau]

11. So the fellow wants to live-seems a reasonable decision to offer the tapes

:-)

[meegbear]

4. History can wait," he wrote ....

as the gun was lowered from his temple and his wife and children were untied and the electrodes removed.

[SupormomFreeAtLast]

6. Ahhh, Isn't That Special?

"It would only add to the distraction I have caused to the president's important and historic work."

[Stealther]

7. I smell death threats.

(eom)

[dave29]

8. Funny, history didn't wait for the Linda Tripp Recordings

but history has a funny way of revising itself.

[arwalden]

10. They Got To Him. He Was Threatened.

[KittyWampus]

19. Threatened For Releasing Tapes On Command? Why Would They

threaten him for doing what he was told?

[Kokonoe]

30. I say he was paid

Why not,they have unlimited funds. He said all profits would go to charity and he canceled his paid TV time.

[Piperay]

36. Yeah, it was meant to be a distraction

from the Gannon scandal, chimp wanted them released.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LisaM]

13. They were to distract from Gannon.

Luckily they were so lame that no one was distracted for more than a minute.

Did you get a load of that Wead guy? He looks like the Joker in the old Batman show.

On edit: read this crazy piece. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3079173/

[JitterbugPerfume]

15. Doug Wead is a tool

a true believer

--immersed in the holy spirit , Amway , George Bush and Jim and Tammy Bakker


They want a piece of his ass in France over the Amway scam I hear

[Megahurtz]

17. Oh great, so he's one of those?

No wonder he doesn't just leave and go to another country, he has nowhere to go. He'll just brown nose his way back in Bush's good graces, and maybe end up getting payola in the long run.

I'm sure he was threatened, but they probably held a carrot in front of his face as well.

[UTUSN]

18. Old Cindy Sez WEAD Tapes "Speak Well" of Shrub

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3163631
The oldest-person-named-"Cindy" is a wingnut, but part of the cosmopolitan cocktail party set, meaning that she is pals with BOTH the PATAKIs AND the CUOMOs, and she is usually even-handed and often has Dem scoops. Here, however, she is either participating in a smear-the-messenger deal (WEAD), or else she is being satiric.

Plus, something else has stunk about this tapes thing from the get-go: It has seemed like another ROVE-type way of getting some damning tidbits about Shrub out there while innoculating him at the same time, then locking everything up for 50 years. After all, what wingnut supporter is going to lose respect for Shrub for his ridiculing Al GORE? And when he does his pharasaical schtick of not-admitting-for-the-children's-sake, the fundies wet their respective pants and panties in love.

Perhaps Old-Cindy went to press before Tweety got an e-mail from WEAD yesterday to the effect that he is donating all of the proceeds of the book to charity AND that he is turning over the tapes to Shrub. Tweety was crestfallen that WEAD turned down an appearance on Puffball more than that evidence was being locked away for 50 years.


*******QUOTE*******

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/cindy.htm

February 23, 2005 -- DOUG WEAD? The nice man who unleashed private telephone tapes he secretly made back when he was buddying with then Governor George W. Bush as the Gov was considering a White House run and was also considering that this friend was truly a friend? Although the contents speak well of the president, we've read Dubya's become a Burning Bush over it. And rightly so. With pals like Friend Wead, who needs enemies?

Friend Wead has stated he didn't actually intend to release these tapes willfully nor would he ever . . . ever . . . ever do it in any way to profit from his old friend.

Really? Friend Wead has also said editors audited these tapes purely solely and only to confirm stuff in Friend Wead's coming booky, which was also something never expected to ever happen so far as the president of the United States of America was concerned.

Really? Not exactly how the literary industry hears it. Around publishing water coolers it's being whispered and rewhispered that Friend Wead played them for his publisher as a marketing tool. Marketing for himself, that is. It was Friend Wead's financial ploy. The tapes are what got Friend Wead an extra few quid in his contract. Part of the money Friend Wead got for this book deal was as a direct result of knowing there existed these tapes for playing and replaying.

What is it with these in-close nobodies who have access to a Somebody's innermost secrets who then turn on those they swore they'd protect? JFK Jr.'s joined-at-the-hip buddy who wrote a book? Princess Diana's devoted piglet butler confidant who wrote a book?

Et tu, Wead?

********UNQUOTE*******

[DUgosh]

20. Why bother, Rove engineered them in the first place. He has the script.

[Imalittleteapot]

21. This is a lot of bull.

A. Bush knew he was being taped.
B. The recordings were made more recently than claimed - IMO.
C. They are a useful tool to distract, not from the "President's important and historic work", but from his many screw ups. Funny how the Bush conversation timely release distracted the MSM from the 52 warnings and the Gannon/Guckert affair.

[LisaM]

25. I completely agree with Point B

I don't think the tapes were made in 1998, either. They seem more recent - mainly because the incidents discussed dovetail too nicely with other events. What caught my ear about the them were these two things:

1) His excuse for not wanting people to know about the pot smoking was exactly the same one he used (effectively) when his DUI record turned up at the 11th hour in 2000 (didn't want his kids to know, in that case)

2) He discussed how he wanted to "lead". This language is exactly like that he uses now (like his nauseating gibberish about getting together with "fellow leaders".) Do most potential presidential candidates talk that way? Not that I've ever heard. In fact, I don't remember it initially coming up in his campaigning either.

There are probably other instances like this - language and message that were polished during both campaigns suddenly appearing on these tapes.

[DS1]

24. The President wishes to meet you at 2 am, in the middle of Lake

Michigan. Please bring a 5 pound bag of cement, a bucket, ladle, and some comfy shoes.

/end Whitehouse Transmission

[mwdem]

26. Rove's shill, check it out....

http://www.villagevoice.com/

Nobody threatened him, this is all a plant. Smoke & mirrors.

[Canuckistanian]

27. What have here...

..is failure.... to communicate. Boy, you need to get your mind right.
Gimme them tapes.

[Demeter]

28. Those Tapes Should Go To a Grand Jury

Such a pathetic attempt at blackmail should be rewarded appropriately.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. I'n't that sweet?

[daleo]

31. I tend to agree, it is a big manufactured Bush religious psycho-drama

Probably for the religious base - Wead is tempted to betray the Saviour Bush but changes his mind and gives back the 40 pieces of silver. Then he begs forgiveness of the anointed one.

Life is becoming more and more like being trapped in a ten year old's fantasy (and not a very mature one at that).

[truthisfreedom]

33. fuck him.

and fuck the story he concocted.

[98geoduck]

34. Jon Stewart said something in the lines of "now that i have the media

publicity for my book"....basically the author and book would go know where without the medias attention.