“Alice is the unstable pot smoking Chief of Communications who has too much influence over the President – lovely “

“The bit about Shane is worse “

“It gets worse ?”

“It does”

I read aloud “ Holds a svengalia like influence over the President – lovely – does he say anything nice about any of us ?”

“Praises CJ for being the only heterosexual in the team “

“Henry is straight “ I object

“I don’t think he is aiming for fairness “

“And are we all trying to convert CJ ? “ I ask with black humour

“Probably “ Carmen grins “ Its just like he has gone mad. What the hell is he playing at ?”

“I am sure that question is being asked by people higher up in the Democratic party than you and I. What’s the extent of his attack on Bette ?”

“Remote and more interested in being a wife and mother because her mother left her so long ago “

“Oh God – that is not going to help Bette at the moment “

“She’s had that thrown at her in the past “

“I know – I think its something that she thinks herself “

“Is this serious in the long term ?”

“Well It focuses attention on her sexuality again when frankly we had thought that we had got beyond that. It doesn’t matter what her sexuality is – she is a great President and this just focuses on bullshit. I could strangle the stupid fuckwit – I really could. Its one thing to resign but to go then come out with this is just beyond belief “

“Anything we can do ?”

“If you get him in a room I’ll do the rest “ I sigh and pick up another newspaper

“So I think I am Jackie Kennedy do I ?”

“I was hoping you hadn’t spotted that “

“I did”

Its very odd to read a personal attack on you from someone who doesn’t actually know you. Its surreal. He is basing all this shit on stuff that he had heard fifth hand from someone with a grudge against us. None of it is true but it doesn’t really matter – mud sticks and I know that this is what the Senior Staff are going to be concentrating on – it will be fire fighting for as long as the story runs.