From Holden:
John Goldstone’s World’s Shortest Blog is offering a bounty to anyone who will ask one simple question of the preznit in a public forum: “How many times have you been arrested, Mr. President?” The bounty is now up to $2,000.
If I were a betting man, my money would be on Helen Thomas. If she is ever allowed to ask a question of Dear Leader, she is the one member of the press corps most likely to win John’s $2k.
In fact, I think she is already a partial qualifier for this exchange with Little Scottie regarding the preznit’s criminal past on April 28, 2004:
Q You never did answer my question on whether the President ever did community service when he was in the National Guard. I wonder —
MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I’m not going to engage in political — in responding to the latest political attack by Senator Kerry —
Q It’s not political, it’s a very simple question.
MR. McCLELLAN: And if you want to address — this is relating to the most recent political attack by Senator Kerry. I’m happy for you to address that question to the campaign.
Q Can you answer that question, yes or no?
MR. McCLELLAN: The campaign responded to this yesterday. They addressed it.
Q Why don’t you answer it?
MR. McCLELLAN: It’s been addressed. I addressed it previously.
Q What did you say?
MR. McCLELLAN: And if you want to keep bringing up these questions, you’re welcome to. But I’m not going to dignify them.
Q What did you say?
MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead.
So, what’s this about community service, you ask.
[The late Ken] Hatfield quotes “a high-ranking advisor to Bush” [in his book Fortunate Son] 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.”
Hatfield quotes a former Yale classmate who told him: “George W. was arrested for possession of cocaine in 1972, but due to his father’s connections, the entire record was expunged by a state judge whom the older Bush helped get elected. It was one of those ‘behind closed doors in the judges’ chambers’ kind of thing between the old man and one of his Texas cronies who owed him a favor … There’s only a handful of us that know the truth.”
[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.”
More confirmation of the monkey on the young Chimp’s back:
Additionally, Michael Dannenhauer, the former Chief Of Staff of former President Bush, admitted to reporter Toby Rogers that the junior Bush did cocaine and experienced some “lost weekends” in Mexico.
Michael Moore also deserves some credit for this letter he wrote during the 2000 campaign:
“Let me ask you, the readers of this letter: How many times have YOU been arrested? Me, none. Most of you — once? twice? This guy has been arrested AT LEAST THREE TIMES! How many people do you know have been arrested three times? Go ahead, do a quick count on your fingers. The answer? NONE!
</blockquote