from The Washington Times,
May 23, 1999, Sunday, Final Edition (Pg. C4, NATION)
Bush sees no humor in Web parody of presidential bid
Hugh Aynesworth
DALLAS - Texas Gov. George W. Bush - known for his easygoing sense
of humor - lost that attribute this month as he took umbrage at
an Internet Web site that lampoons his expected presidential bid.
Not only was Mr. Bush incensed, but he instructed his exploratory
committee lawyers to file a complaint with the Federal Election
Commission.
In that complaint, sent May 3, attorney Benjamin L. Ginsberg of
the Washington firm of Patton Boggs, charged that the operators
of the Web site had failed "to include the proper independent
disclaimers" on the site, thus violating the Federal Election
Campaign Act of 1971. The complaint also said that the site had
libeled Mr. Bush with false statements and its backers were out
to ruin the Bush campaign.
"There's a lot of garbage in politics," said the governor,
"and obviously this is a garbage man."
The Washington Times yesterday was unable to contact the Web site
operator - Zack Exley of Somerville, Mass., who has been identified
as a computer consultant - but Frank Guerrero, who said he was a
spokesman for the designer of the site, Rtmark, told the Dallas
Morning News on Friday that it was just a parody and that nobody
connected with it was anti-Bush.
Mr. Guerrero said the same group plans to create a site to give
Democratic candidate Al Gore the same treatment. "We're trying
to be bipartisan," he said.
But back in Austin, Mr. Bush was not amused.
"There ought to be limits to freedom," he told Austin
reporters yesterday.
The letter to the FEC asked that the owners post a disclaimer,
naming who built the site and who was behind it financially. The
complaint specifically said that if more than $ 250 was spent on
the site - "because it expressly advocates the defeat of a
federal candidate" - Mr. Exley was required to file expenditure
reports, which he had not done.
"It is filled with libelous and untrue statements whose aim
is to damage Governor Bush," the complaint said. "The
headline of the site is 'Just Say No to Former Cocaine User for
President.' This site's innuendoes and false statements attack the
governor's positions on tough standards for convicted drug dealers."
Mr. Guerrero said the organization had spent about $70 to construct
the site.
Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign spokesperson, said the main problem
was that the site so closely resembles the official Bush site, www.georgewbush.com,
that people could be easily confused, and the material posted could
sway some from voting for the Texas governor.
Mr. Guerrero said it just pokes fun at Mr. Bush for what the governor
calls his "youthful indiscretions" and compares them with
his toughness toward criminals in his adult years.
The parody Web site (gwbush.com) opens with a picture of Mr.
Bush and a large headline: Presidential Exploratory Committee. It
mentions a mock Bush initiative called "Amnesty 2024,"
which suggests that Mr. Bush would pardon drug dealers and users
if they had "grown up" - an obvious lampoon of Mr. Bush's
admission about "youthful indiscretions," which he had
refused to itemize, saying only that he has learned from the mistakes
of his younger days.
Later it pokes fun at Mr. Bush's allusion to being a "compassionate
Conservative."
"The gwbush.com campaign is about compassion," it begins.
"G.W. Bush's politics derive from his own life experience.
Although he made serious mistakes as a youth, the Bible says, 'Do
unto others.' And G.W. Bush has indeed been forgiven again and again
by others.
"First there was his rambunctious youth, in which he doesn't
deny there was use of cocaine and other drugs. Then, as an unsuccessful
Texas businessman, he was bailed out with millions of dollars from
friends of his vice president father. As president, G.W. Bush wants
to create an America in which everyone gets as much forgiveness,
and as many chances to grow up, as he had."
An FEC spokesman said the complaint had been received but refused
to comment on anything concerning it.
"We appreciate humor," said Mrs. Hughes in Austin. "We
appreciate parody. George Bush is known for his sense of humor.
But there's a difference between expressing opinion, poking fun
and breaking the law."