Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Roberts Dissed the King

Dana Milbank has a story, "Request Denied", in today's Washington Post which reveals probably the main reason that the Liberal Democrats are trying to Bork the new Supreme Court nominee. There were recent headlines that the Reagan Library was releasing thousands of pages of documents from the time of John Roberts' service in the Reagan White House. Republicans have been on tenderhooks since the announcement. Found tucked amongst the thousands of pages was a collection of memos by a young lawyer named John Roberts which give damning evidence about his efforts two decades ago to "diss" Hollywood's own darling (at that time), King of Pop Michael Jackson.

The sarcasm dripped from the young lawyer's pen as he wrote on June 22, 1984, advising President Reagan: "The office of presidential correspondence is not yet an adjunct of Michael Jackson's PR firm ... enough is enough." The memo was in response to Michael Jackson's publicist requesting a presidential letter praising the star's work against drunken driving. Whipper-snapper Roberts even sent another memo continuing in the same disrespectful vein, "I see no need to have the president send a letter to Mr. Jackson, simply because Mr. Jackson's public relations firm has requested one." Take that, you dancing fool!

However, Jackson and his entourage did not recognize the "dissing" even when the glove was shaken in their faces. Instead, they made a new request. Would the honorable Ronald Reagan be pleased to send a letter to the most honorable "Gloved One" thanking the singer for performing in Washington and for providing 400 tickets for '"needy youngsters". When the request hit the conservative Robert's desk, he immediately dipped his writing quill into that ever ready inkpot of sarcasm and wrote to his superior, Fred Fielding: "I hate to sound like one of Mr. Jackson's records, constantly repeating the same refrain, but I recommend that we not approve this letter. . . . Frankly, I find the obsequious attitude of some members of the White House staff toward Mr. Jackson's attendants, and the fawning posture they would have the president of the United States adopt, more than a little embarrassing."

Roberts plunged and twisted the "dissing" knife even deeper into the heart of the Jackson folks by writing that not only was Michael Jackson being denied the requested letter, but that his Washington tour was not a charitable gesture, but "was a calculated commercial decision that does not warrant gratitude from our nation's chief executive." Michael Jackson was still a black man then, and John Roberts dissed him, his dancing and his music. And this before the public had ever been exposed to the bizarre Michael Jackson lifestyle! Now we all know the real reason that the Democrats are out to get John Roberts - revenge for his long ago "dissing" of the King of Pop.

No comments: