Book: Bush was arrested for cocaine in 1972

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/10/18/cocaine/

Texas author J.H. Hatfield claims the Republican front-runner did community service at a Houston center.


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By Salon Staff


Oct. 18, 1999 | A new book by Texas author J.H. Hatfield claims that George W. Bush was arrested for cocaine possession in 1972, but had his record expunged with help from his family's political connections. In an afterword to his book "Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President" (St. Martin's), Hatfield says he took a second look at the Bush cocaine allegations after a story in Salon reporting allegations that Bush did community service for the crime at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Houston's Third Ward.

The center's executive director, Madgelean Bush (no relation to George W. Bush), had told Salon News and others that Bush did not do community service there, and the Bush campaign likewise denied the allegation. But the Texas governor had admitted to working at Houston's Project P.U.L.L. in 1972, and Hatfield says he began to wonder if that was actually the community service sentence. Hatfield says he confirmed those suspicions with three sources close to the Bush family he had cultivated while writing his biography, which publishes Wednesday. snip

But Hatfield quotes "a high-ranking advisor to Bush" who confirmed that Bush was arrested for cocaine possession in Houston in 1972, and had the record expunged by a judge who was "a fellow Republican and elected official" who helped Bush get off "with a little community service at a minority youth center instead of having to pick cotton on a Texas prison farm." snip

Hatfield also says that when he asked Scott McClellan to comment on the allegation of a former Yale classmate of Bush's that the presidential hopeful was arrested for cocaine possession in 1972 and had his record expunged in exchange for community service at Project P.U.L.L., the Bush campaign spokesman said, sotto voce, "Oh, shit," followed by, "No comment."

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[Sinistrous]

1. This will only play to the sympathy vote.

After all, the boy has found Jayzuuus. So the fact that he is an alcoholic, coke-head felon means nothing. Except that this alcoholic, coke-head felon is leading the most powerful nation on earth.

[Kazak]

2. We CANNOT have a cokehead in the oval office!!!

He should be removed immediately, IMO, for that among many other all too valid reasons.

[The Traveler]

3. Bush still isn't off the hook

I'm sorry ... but unless we are talking about truly heroic quantities this does nothing to explain or excuse George W. Bush's bizarre behavior, broken syntax, or curious rational processes.

It might, however, explain his "peeking out the blinds" style of paranoia when it comes to regarding Middle Eastern regimes and Democracts. ("They've got weapons. I know they do.")

No. Sorry. I think we need another theory to explain the mystery of George W. Bush's brain.

[Devlzown]

4. He's a tweaker? n/t

[The Traveler]

10. Hmmm ... possibly ... but

What the heck is a tweaker?

[mountainvue]

17. He's an

old school tweaker, my friend.

[Old and In the Way]

5. His whole life has been a rewrite.

If his real public record was known, there'd have been no way that this loser would have been chosen. They'd have stolen the election with Jeb.

[absyntheNsugar]

6. Hetfield committed *suicide* in the first years of the Bush* presidency

Convenient, huh?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. Wow. Was Tony Blair anywhere near at the time?

Did he beat himself to death with rocks too?

[loyalsister]

19. That was soon after

he had agreed to reveal sources. I remember a story that claimed Rove as one source. This would be classic Rove! Get the story out before it can do too much damage. It was a good estimation, as the story was easily forgotton by the baby boomers who had done their share of experimenting themselves. I think he also counted on people being sick of smear tactics.
Keep in mind he also probably ruined the author's life. He had done time and his publisher didn't know until <someone> started calling around telling people. Suddenly, this book wasn't written by a reputible person and it was pulled off the shelves.

[0007]

8. Thanks Don - keep up the good work.

[KoKo]

9. Helen Thomas asked Scott McClennan about this in Press Conf. Today!

She said: "what about the President's community service." He replied something like "Helen, this is not an issue..we've release the records....blah, blah, blah. She asked again..and he refused to answer.

So, this said to me this is the next "step" in the Bush AWOL problem.

And, from what I've read throughout my time on DU.....the "community service that Bush did "working with disadvantage children," is THE "Smoking Gun."

I don't know how far they will go...but there something there..it seems if Helen Thomas asked about it....and Scott went into a tizzy trying to throw her off. Someone posted the transcript. I think it's up on "whitehouse.org" if anyone wants to Google it.

The part of the press conference I saw today, they were hitting Scott pretty heavily. And he was "stonewalling" big time!

[waywest]

11. That Q and no A session is on Talkingpointsmemo.com

2nd article down, this is one AMAZING session. Have a look.

[slack]

12. /feature/1999

A little bit old, isn't it?

But a good story. In germany everbody is laughing about Bretzelbush. I have to ask, he really stop drinking, did he?

[chaska]

13. To whom it may concern - for whatever purpose.

I met a man known as Coyote, a resident at Twin Oaks Community in Va. (they have a website), who told me that he had been part of a group that sold cocaine to GW. He went to prison for his part in the deal. This man is in his sixties, I'd guess. He is very credible.

[bluestateguy]

14. This guy was "disappeared" by Bushco

They cranked up the attack machine against him, and months later he was "found" dead of a "suicide". Like something out of the old Soviet Union.

[Robin Hood]

15. This explains why he was grounded from flying in 1972.

Wonder if the bright bulbs in the media will pick up on that little clue.

[notbush]

16. I'm sorry, but this can hurt us

Reading some of the threads in the last week, some DUer's are about to do what the RW Repugs did in 1996.........Vince Foster, Hillary's apartment,Drugs out of Mena.
Be very , very careful....if this doesn't stick, there could be a huge backlash.

[Robin Hood]

18. It would all be so easy.

If they just opened their files and records. After all, If they have nothing to hide then there's no problem, right? They can start by releasing the energy meeting papers that Cheney is hiding for some reason.

Why is this Administration stone walling and hiding everything? Why is it not a transparent government? They lied about WMD, now we want to know what else they have been lying about?

[TomNickell]

20. Hatfield had his own problems.....

Hatfield, it turned out, had done time for a plot to murder a former boss (as I remember).

This revelation came out just as the book was released and caused the publisher to pull it. The controversy did a lot to quell media interest in *'s early life.

There was a Conspiracy theory by a friend of Hatfield's that Rove had planted the cocaine story with -him- knowing he would implode.

Hatfield's problems don't mean his reporting is false, of course. Problem is Hatfield was quoting unnamed sources, so we have only his word to rely on.