I’m thrilled to be a blogger. I enjoy the rapid fire exchange of ideas and the debate that occurs all the time in the blogosphere. And I enjoy hearing all opinions, even those contrary to my own.

But one thing that gets under my skin is when fiction parading as fact enters the general political discussion.

In a recent posting on Daily Kos the author said:

One of Nixon’s advisors, Fred Malek, compiled a manual of techniques for ensuring that government agencies were more “responsive” to Nixon’s political goals. The Malek Manual described how administration officials could thwart federal laws prohibiting the firing and hiring of career employees based on their political affiliation.

What’s wrong with that?

A few things:

1) I did not compile, nor author, that manual.

2) It was written by Alan May in 1974.

3) That was a year after I had left the White House (I left the White House and became Deputy Director of OMB in Jan. 1973)

Why is my name linked to this document? It can’t just be that people like the alliteration, since the “May Manual” is just as catchy. And his authorship of the manual is public record – both the Washington Post and National Journal have reported that Alan May wrote it.

So how did the document get dubbed the “Malek Manual”? Unfortunately for me, it was found in my files because a copy was sent to me as a “courtesy.” I found it distasteful. But did not in fact have anything to do with creating it.

My alleged authorship of the “Malek Manual” is one of those myths which will probably linger around for a while longer. But let the record be straight, I left government service feeling a great degree of respect for the dedication and excellence of civil service employees, and support the federal laws prohibiting the firing and hiring of civil servants based on their political affiliations. Claiming I wrote the so-called “Malek Manual” is a falsehood, plain and simple.

I am fortunate today to be in a position to give something back to my community. So I don’t want to seem ungrateful when mentioning that being a somewhat public figure brings with it a certain amount of notoriety. I have always been proud of my lifelong work in philanthropy, politics, baseball, business, and cancer research. My years serving various presidential administrations and elections, in particular, were an important time in my life. Unfortunately, it is incidents from that earliest time in my life that sometimes get dredged up over and over again – and I’ve addressed my time in the Nixon administration 35 years ago and have been very straightforward about it.

Recently, however, other allegations have again surfaced on the blogosphere – allegations which are hurtful, and more importantly, untrue. I’m talking about an incident dating back nearly 50 years, when I was on active duty in the Army. Rumors abound that I killed and barbecued a dog in the summer of 1959. This is simply not true.

A recent statement from one person who was there – retired and highly decorated Colonel, Andrew P. O’Meara, Jr. – couldn’t make it more clear:

“Scurrilous allegations have recently been directed at Fred Malek charging that he killed and barbecued a dog in the summer of 1959. The allegations are totally false. During a trip to Peoria, IL in the summer of 1959, I became inebriated and in an ill-advised preparation for Ranger School survival training, I killed and barbecued a dog [Fred and a few others happened to be on the trip to Peoria but had nothing to do with the incident]. I was subsequently arrested, brought before a Magistrate, fined $200 for cruelty to animals and the incident was closed, I take full responsibility for my ill-advised actions that were a source of embarrassment to the Army and the Ranger School”

Andy takes full responsibility for the incident. I’d like to thank Andy for being a man with the integrity, to volunteer this information on the record and help keep the record straight and clear up my name.

It would have been far easier to ignore this issue, so I thank him for bringing the facts to light however uncomfortable it might be. Andy sets an example of admitting our mistakes and moving on, hopefully leaving the world a better place than we found it. And that’s what I’d like to do as well.

Hopefully this will begin to clarify and refocus attention on my future works and the subjects that I am passionate about.

Again, thank you Andy.

As readers of this blog know, I’m a huge Washington Nationals fan – even though I didn’t get the winning bid to own the team. What non-Washingtonians may not be too familiar with is the great Nationals tradition of the Presidents Race.

In the middle of the fourth inning of every home game, the four presidents featured on Mount Rushmore — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt – race around the stadium. They’re puppets – huge puppets.

Alas, Teddy Roosevelt – one of my favorite presidents (I get that from John McCain, I guess) – never wins.

So unfair.

A grassroots movement has sprung up, with thousands of fans chanting “Let Teddy Win!” I’m with them. I say to the Powers That Be: Even out the playing field! Give Teddy a chance! Don’t rig the race – just be fair.

If you’re a Teddy Roosevelt supporter, I encourage you to check out this great new blog I discovered: http://blog.letteddywin.com/ . You can follow all the latest Presidents Race (and Nationals) news and even show your support for Teddy. And hopefully I’ll see you at the new ballpark.

Let’s go ‘Nats1 Let’s go Teddy!

John McCain’s victory in Virginia yesterday – along with victories in Maryland and D.C. – sets him up nicely to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. I’ve been blogging and writing op-eds forecasting the McCain momentum for some time, and not only am I glad to see it happen, I’m thrilled to be part of the winning team.

I also enjoyed reading this item in yesterday’s “Yeas & Nays” gossip column in the DC Examiner newspaper:

Fred Malek is McCain’s new moneyman

John McCain is back in town for today’s Potomac primary (he’s still a senator, too, we’re pretty sure), so he’s taking the opportunity to raise some coin while he’s chasing votes.

Fred Malek, the former Nixon aide, founder of Thayer Capital Partners and ex-suitor of the Washington Nationals, is hosting a fundraiser for McCain at his McLean home tonight.

Among his co-hosts are former VP candidate Jack Kemp, Bill and Bobbie Kilberg, Kathy Kemper, Jim Valentine and Carter Pate.

The price of admission is the maximum individual donation of $2,300.

According to FEC records, Malek has already kicked in his $2,300 to McCain, though it’s a small drop in the bucket of the hundreds of thousands he’s given to Republicans over the years. He also gave $2,150 to the senator’s erstwhile opponent, Mitt Romney.

Nice item, it was a great event, and I appreciate the attention they gave to my work on behalf of Sen. McCain. Just for the record, though, I haven’t contributed to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

On Sunday I ventured into the world of podcasting. I was interviewed by one of Virginia’s top bloggers, J.R. Hoeft of Bearing Drift. Previewing Tuesday’s primary for Virginia Politics On Demand, we discussed John McCain’s conservative background plus how the general election battle against Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will shape up.

Click here to listen to the interview:

Bearing Drift

With all my various involvements in life, I must say that my achievement in helping to bring baseball to Washington is among my proudest.  So I was quite pleased to see the Washington Post describe me this way in its story on DC-area fundraisers for presidential candidates:

 “[W]ould-be D.C. Nationals owner Fred Malek is backing McCain.”

Yes, I wish I were among the Nationals owners.  But the team they do have on top is doing a superb job.  Almost as good a job as John McCain is doing.

Very generous of Marc Ambinder to plug the Fred Malek blog in his blog at Atlantic.com

Here’s what Marc had to say: “Fred Malek Has A Blog. The gentleman is one of the biggest donors in the Republican Party, a behind-the-scenes-poo-bah, a major venture capitalist, a Vietnam veteran, and an opinion leader whose thoughts are worth reading.”
I’ll make sure to keep reading Marc’s blog to find out what’s really happening in politics.  I guess he joins others in shock that I enjoy blogging and actually know how to do it

Interesting article in today’s Washington Post business section about Robert Johnson raising $1.2 billion for his third private-equity fund that invests in the hotel industry.

The Post ran my thoughts on what’s happening these days in the hotel industry:

Fred Malek, co-chairman of Thayer Lodging, a private-equity fund that buys and manages hotels, said now is a good time for hotel deals.

“This should be an excellent time to acquire hotels because values are coming down somewhat, some owners do not have the financial capability to upgrade their hotels to meet consumer demands and brand standards, and thus, they will be forced to consider sale,” he said.

I was also thrilled to see my wife quoted in today’s Style section – the story about Debbie Dingell’s efforts to make Michigan a prominent political player in choosing our president.  Here’s what the article said:

“She’s very involved in Michigan,” says her Republican friend Marlene Malek, with whom Dingell holds an annual bipartisan, women-only lunch during the December holiday season. “She’s always there. She’s always doing something political and not political. She has a whole other life out there.”

By the way, if you’re curious about that lunch Marlene holds with Debbie Dingell, here’s a nice write-up that appeared in the Politico’s “Shenanigans” column last month:

Wonder women

All spotted sitting at the same table during lobbyist extraordinaire Debbie Dingell and D.C. socialite/philanthropist Marlene Malek’s all ladies lunch today at the Four Seasons, hosting 300 of D.C.’s high powered ladies: Romney spokeswoman Barbara Comstock, Fred Thompson advisor Mary Matalin, wife of Sam Donaldson, Jan Smith, Tammy Haddad of Haddad Media, former head of the RIAA Hilary Rosen, MSNBC host Norah O’Donnell, lawyer and wife of Howard Fineman Amy Nathan and “Meet the Press” executive producer Betsy Fischer. Topics of conversation? Not so much politics as…Hannah Montana tickets. Also in the room of wonder women? Lynda Carter.

I just got back from campaigning for John McCain in New Hampshire. Here’s a fun account of McCain’s victory in today’s Washington Post:

John McCain’s bus just pulled into a polling place on Broad Street, and McCain dived into the media scrum and disappeared from sight. It is possible that he was devoured by camera people; later I’ll look for the bones.

Off to the side stood a white-haired gentleman holding a “McCain” placard. But this was no ordinary volunteer — it was Fred Malek, the big-cheese Republican (and would-be Washington Nationals owner). He said he’s co-chairman of McCain’s campaign. “Chairman” is often a somewhat honorary title in a presidential operation.

“I finally found my proper role in the campaign — sign carrier,” Malek said. His wife, Marlene, was on sign duty, as well. “I’d do anything for John McCain,” she said.

Mr. Malek predicted a McCain win today and huge momentum.

“He doesn’t have to win Michigan” — Mitt Romney has a native-state advantage there — “but I think he will. You can’t underestimate the momentum that’s going to be generated by a victory here.”

Does McCain have enough money to compete in the large states?

“It’s picking up. Nothing like a little success to open the money faucets.”

As Director of the 1988 Republican Convention, my main challenge was to develop a four night program that would bring Vice President George H.W. Bush back from a 17-point deficit to Michael Dukakis in the Presidential polls. President Reagan agreed to highlight the first night with a speech focused on the foreign policy successes of the Reagan-Bush Presidency. After all, we had just won the Cold War. However, I also had to select someone to precede President Reagan with a prime time address – someone who shared his unspeakable principles and who had credibility on foreign policy. I selected the junior senator from Arizona, John McCain. He delivered an outstanding address and started the Bush-path to ultimate victory. I believed then as I do now that McCain, more than any other political leader of either party, not only shared the Reagan principles but also mirrored his strong character and conviction as well as the political courage to consistently choose the right course of action for America, no matter the political price.

John McCain is the heir to the Reagan legacy, and just as Reagan came back from an Iowa loss to become the nominee and President, so will John McCain. He will win the New Hampshire primary tomorrow because the voters of the Granite State know that this man of principle, courage, consistency, character, and national security excellence stands above all other candidates and will be a superb President. They also know he is the most likely to beat any of the possible Democrat nominees. These same characteristics will motivate voters in Michigan, South Carolina, and the February 5 states. John McCain will be the nominee, he will be President.