http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/08/19/swiftbook/index_np.html
Unfit for bookstores
John Kerry's campaign called on a publisher to remove book after Washington Post attacked the truthfulness of a Swift boat veteran.
By Eric Boehlert Aug. 19, 2004
Kerry's campaign told Salon that Regnery (Unfit for Command publisher) is selling a hoax and should consider withdrawing it from bookstores. "No publisher should want to be selling books with proven falsehoods in them, especially falsehoods that are meant to smear the military service of an American veteran," said Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton. "If I were them, I'd be ducking under my desk wondering what to do." Clanton cited this as a serious problem.
I checked with Borders in Kalispell, MT. They got in 10 copies which immediately went out. They're waiting for more. They said Costco didn't get any. While I was talking to them someone called about the same thing!
They were friendly and helpful, but this is Montana. What do you expect?
I'm in Georgia.
I went to Barnes & Noble this morning to buy the book. I went to the same book store that I bought my last Ann Coulter book. I found the Coulter book in the back of the store buried even though it was a best seller. So I assumed this would be the case of Unfit to Command.
I went to the info desk only to be told they were sold out and I could be put on a reserve list. The clerk was quite helpful and actually nice. She said they sold out of the 25 copies they had immediately. A new shipment was due in 5 days. As I thanked her another customer came up asking for the book.
I went over to Waldon Books and was told the same thing.
This book is big.
BTW, Maureen Dowd's book was quite available in both stores. Shelves were stocked.
I think someone's full of shiite!
FLASH: PUBLISHER CLAIMS 550,000 COPIES OF ANTI-KERRY VETS 'UNFIT FOR COMMAND' BOOK NOW IN PRINT...
Why didn't Bush DEMAND that Michael Moore's movie NOT BE SHOWN? Why? Because President Bush is a decent man who believes in FREEDOM!! Kerry is obviously a fascist.
Chiming in for the east mid- GA area. Our closest bookstore is a WaldenBooks at the mall in the next town over. I just got through. They are sold out, may get some in today, put my name and phone # on their list, and she said the next shipment will go to those ahead of me, and I would probably be on the 2nd go around.
Wonderful news, although I'd like to get the book already. She sounded a little perturbed, but methinks she's been getting a lot of calls like mine.
I do live in a strong Repub. area.
Here is my exchange with the corporate types at Borders.
What I sent.
Hey Keating, how many more of our Friends on the Free
Republic friends do you want to hear from anytime
soon??.
I am going to visit all the BN stores and check. I
personally ordered one for every employee that wanted
one. This book is opening at no 3 in the NY best
selling spot.
If people continue to post this type of situation, it
will expose your stores to what I always thought you
were, a gathering place for liberal yup pups.
The book is not going to influence the Bush landslide,
but it will prevent people from reading the truth.
Sincerely
Jesse
Their reply:
Before you draw any conclusions, perhaps you should check all the
facts.
The publisher issued the attached statement earlier this week regarding
the
fact that the media broke on this book before they had a chance to ship
any
copies to retailers. Thus, we've been in a difficult position of
having to
tell our customers that we don't have enough copies. We have sold
every
copy provided thus far by the publisher and are expecting additional
shipments.
Here is what happened today:
I went to the local BN, asked for the manager and asked him where is the Unfit for Command book, I could not find it anywhere.
He said that they have not received copies yet. He said that when he gets the book in he is planning to sell a ton of them, customers are asking for it in record numbers.
I got my slip and they will call me when the book comes in.
He was very pleasant and a Fox regular.
Costco, the leftist discounter, does not have the book, but are still pushing the First Felon's and Hitlery's books and tapes. Moore's book and five other anti-Bush books are still out there on the tables too. I like Costco, but hate their obvious RAT bias!
After the news of threats about pulling the book, I decided to head to the local Barnes and Noble and try to find a copy. It's been a while since I have been to that store but was very suprised with the number of Bush bashing books available. I can find out about Bush's lies, about entering Bush Country, some fat guy wanting his country back, something about Haliburton, a bogus Iraqi war, and even some anti-Bush bumper stickers.
Of course, the store did not have the book. I walked over to the customer service counter which was staffed by 4 employees. A man was at the counter for a while and I found out he was back-ordering 4 of the books.
One of the ladies commented that she needed to carry a sign and walk down the main street saying that the store doesn't have the book (oh, and she added that it wasn't because of a liberal bias). Another worker was on the phone with someone wanting the book as well. I also added my name to the list for the back-ordered book.
It was obvious that the book is causing a firestorm. I checked Wal-Mart also and no sign of the book.
No, not being suppressed here that I can tell. Went to B&N today and the young hippieish man politely volunteered to order it for me. No problemo, to be fair about it.
"Kerry's campaign told Salon that Regnery (Unfit for Command publisher) is selling a hoax and should consider withdrawing it from bookstores. "No publisher should want to be selling books with proven falsehoods in them, especially falsehoods that are meant to smear the military service of an American veteran," said Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton. "If I were them, I'd be ducking under my desk wondering what to do." Clanton cited this as a serious problem."
Meanwhile, two fictional accounts of the time spent in the White House by two lying criminals, are pushed by the press at every opportunity. We on the right are not running to the FEC or other official organizations for a divergent view.
I work in Downtown L.A. (sad, but true) and called the local Waldenbooks to see if they had it in their store and the clerk said (after a short pause) that they "didn't have any copies in the store and it should be coming in the next few weeks." Defeated, I went ahead and ordered a copy from Amazon with my gift certificate instead. I would have preferred to have marched into an actual bookstore flaunting my copy about - almost daring any Marxist clerk or customer to a verbal sparring, but alas, it was not to be....
I walked in to B&N today and noticed one lonely copy in a sea of other political books front and center. It looked like it was put up there by a fan. I then heard an older man (probably a WWII or Korea vet by the looks) ask for his reserved copy. I asked if there were more copies and the clerk said he thought there were more but seemed surprised that he only had about 3 left behind the counter. I bought my copy behind the gentleman and left. Must be selling well!
I have a friend who buys books for stores in the SF bay area. She says they sold out their half filled order in about 3 hours and are waiting for another full order .The time frame is 3 weeks.....
In DFW (Mid-Cities area) all the booksellers claim that all copies were "reserved" and publisher is "behind on deliveries."
Barnes & Nobel Mgr. seem shocked when asked if they were holding them till after the election:-)
Whether or not there is intent to make Unfit for Command available or not in bookstores is great news for Bush and the Swifties.
First, human nature. We all want something we can't have. This will drive up demand even more. If word spreads that bookstores are "hiding" the book...this will generate much more curiosity about the book. Eventually, the supply will catch up and everyone will be reading it and talking about the book.
IMHO
It isn't in the local Books a Million yet, but they have a healthy display of conservative books -- a bunch of Reagan books, Bush books, etc., and they told hubby UNFIT FOR COMMAND will be in Tuesday.
I checked out a Barnes and Noble while visiting in St. Pete, FL today...the center tables were Clinton and anti Bush books. It took me about 15 minutes to find the political section where they hide all the other books. No Unfit For Command in either place.
Ended up buying a Hannity and Savage book, Went to pay and the girl at the counter read the title out loud of the Hannity book like it sparked her interest, but it didn't appear she knew of him. I asked her if they had UFC and when they would get it in. She gave me the same story about the publisher not making enough copies, and that they didn't know when they'd get it in. She gave me a look, but I couldn't tell if it was a why-do-you-want-that-silly-lie-filled-book look or a I-feel-your-pain look. Either way, she was nice about it.
Yesterday I went to Borders in Brea, Calif. and typed the title into the search box on their electronic inventory catalog. The book is not in stock at any Southern California Borders, but is listed as "on the way."
