Setting the Record Straight at the New York <i>Times</i>. . .AGAIN

Human Events Online ^ | October 21, 2004 | Marc E. Leland

[hinterlander]

The following letter was sent October 20 to the editor of the New York Times Magazine about Ron Suskind's October 17 article "Without a Doubt" about President Bush:

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I have great difficulty believing anything in Ron Suskind's article on President George W. Bush because his discussion of the President's service on the Caterair board is so totally inaccurate. The President was an outstanding member of the board and the audit committee on which we both served. He attended all meetings and did not tell jokes ("dirty" or otherwise) and was always a valuable, active and interested participant.

The author purports to quote David Rubenstein, who was not on the board of Caterair and never attended any of its meetings. When the entire airline catering industry went into a decline President Bush and I resigned, along with most of the original board, because the company was being sold.

Any President may be subject to legitimate criticism, but the report on President Bush's Caterair service does not approach even minimum journalistic standards, as I am sure every member of the Caterair board would tell you.

Sincerely,

Marc E. Leland

Mr. Leland served in the Nixon and Ford Administrations, was a U.S. delegate to the arms control negotiations in Vienna from 1975-78, and served as under secretary of the Treasury for international affaris in the Reagan Administration. He was also a delegate for President Bush to the UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva.