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Saturday, August 20, 2005

John Roberts Vs. Michael Jackson

Posted by on August 20 at 11:28 AM

Today the Washington Post breaks the bizarre story of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts’s longstanding anti-Michael Jacksonism.

The source for the story is a small handful of memos written during 1984, when Roberts was working as a Reagan White House lawyer. According to the Post, Roberts argued against giving a presidential award to Jackson for his efforts against drunk driving, with Roberts particularly objecting to the description of Jackson as an “outstanding example” for American youth. Wrote Roberts in an April ‘84 memo:

If one wants the youth of America and the world sashaying around in garish sequined costumes, hair dripping with pomade, body shot full of female hormones to prevent voice change, mono-gloved, well, then, I suppose ‘Michael,’ as he is affectionately known in the trade, is in fact a good example.

Eep. Lucky for Roberts he’s got the evidence of his pro-bono work battling Colorado’s anti-gay initiative to help deflect the forthcoming charges of homophobia, or at least sissyphobia. ( Michael Jackson, as everyone knows, is straightjust ask Brooke Shields.) But Roberts gets back on track at the memo’s end:

Quite apart from the problem of appearing to endorse Jackson’s androgynous life style, a Presidential award would be perceived as a shallow effort by the President to share in the constant publicity surrounding Jackson… . The whole episode would, in my view, be demeaning to the President.

Fighting to keep the Reagans away from celebrities? Obviously Roberts doesn’t flinch from impossible battles. Full story here.