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[igotthisguitar]

Mulroney "devastated" and "betrayed" by Newman's tell-all book
ALEXANDER PANETTA
Mon Sep 12, 7:01 PM ET

OTTAWA (CP) - An ailing Brian Mulroney feels "devastated" and "betrayed" about a onetime friend's release of a tell-all book that has the former prime minister spewing profanity and musing extensively about his own greatness.

A spokesman said Monday that Mulroney was stunned to turn on his television and learn that his private and often R-rated reflections would be on store shelves this week in a book written by Peter C. Newman. "'I was reckless in talking with Peter C. Newman,' " Mulroney said, according to spokesman Luc Lavoie.

"'This was my mistake and I'm going to have to live with it.' "

Mulroney was at home in Montreal, where he is undergoing physiotherapy and still recovering from surgery following a serious bout with pancreatitis months ago.

He is not challenging the accuracy of Newman's book, The Secret Mulroney Tapes, and has no plans for legal action.

But Lavoie said the former prime minister is feeling betrayed by the way his old friend, Newman, gathered the material.

That material includes a series of remarks from the 1980s and '90s that would have produced incendiary and potentially career-ending headlines at the time.

They include references to the anatomy and the love life of his successor, Kim Campbell, startling admissions about the Meech Lake accord, vicious outbursts at the media and anyone else he felt had deprived him of his legacy as the country's greatest prime minister since John A. Macdonald

He unloads with particular force on former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau, former colleagues Lucien Bouchard and Joe Clark, on Clark's wife Maureen McTeer, and on ex-Newfoundland premier Clyde Wells.

But it was just supposed to be two old friends chatting, says Lavoie.

"Brian Mulroney is a very colourful, entertaining man in a conversation that says things that are said because they're entertaining," Lavoie said.

"For a man like this to tape him without his knowledge and use it this way is nothing short of betrayal."

He was cautious when asked whether Mulroney's fragile physical state worsened when he learned of the book.

"He's too proud a man but I know it did (hurt him physically)," Lavoie said.

"He's quite devastated."

Mulroney met the veteran journalist over 40 years ago and the men became close - so close that Newman wrote a key speech for him for the 1976 Tory leadership convention, says Lavoie.

He said the men signed a deal when Mulroney finally became Tory leader in 1983: Newman would have unlimited access to him, would produce a biography following his days in office, and would let Mulroney have an early peek at the book before it was published.

In the end there was no biography, only a collection of interview transcripts. And Mulroney's first glimpse at the book came Monday when some of its saltiest snippets flashed across television screens.

Mulroney was completely unaware he was being taped most of the time, maintains Lavoie. According to their agreement, Newman would have a monthly recorded interview with the prime minister.

But the phone calls were supposed to be off-the-record, he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050913/ca_pr_on_na/mulroney_responds

[mindmetoo]

Ha looks good on him. Sir John A. never destroyed a political party. Mulroney reduced the PCs to fringe party status. A conservative government that ran up the debt beyond levels even Trudeau could have imagined. What historical legacy does he think he has?

[Manner of Speaking]

Fifteen years ago I said to myself it'll be a 100 years before the mess he's created is cleaned up. 15 years later, it still hasn't been all cleaned up. Almost singlehandedly created the Bloc Quebecois, and it's virtually impossible to amend the Constitution. Biggest f *beep* up in Canadian history is his legacy. I'd love to hear what he had to say about Kim Campbell though


Newman is one self-overrated writer as well. Competent, but nothing special. His only redeeming feature is that he's been around for so long.

[Bulsajo]

[mindmetoo]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

[Manner of Speaking]

[Manner of Speaking]

In any case...when you stop and think about it, Newman is a bit of an *beep* hole for publishing this book. It doesn't provide a lot of new information from a historical perspective (who DIDN'T know Mulroney is a mouthy meglamaniac?), and most of the contents are a bunch of salacious, Lewinsky-esque asides. How historically important is it to know what Mulroney thought of Kim Campbell's *beep* s?

His excuse for publishing the book is that there is another Mulroney biography coming out soon "so he had to get this one out". Big deal. Does the world owe it to him to get his book published? Who the hell does he think he is?

As a writer he is merely competent, nothing more...most MAs in Political Science could do as well nowadays. His only claim to fame is that he's been around for too long, and he's willing to *beep* people over for his career.

[some waygug-in]

So Lian' Brian 's whining. Awwww, poor boy..

I bet he actually expects Canadians to feel sorry for him.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

[Manner of Speaking]

[Bulsajo]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'll really be missing Air Farce this week!

[igotthisguitar]

[Wrench]

He deserves to be shot.