Bush Officials Denied Rowling Medal Because Books 'Encouraged Witchcraft'

Former George W. Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer has been making waves and drawing fire the past two weeks with the dishy revelations in his new memoir, "Speech Less: Tales of a White House Survivor." Bush predicted Sarah Palin's crash-and-burn exit and remarked on the size of Hillary Clinton's "keister." But as politicos and bloggers make their way through the book, they're finding even stranger bits, like the news that Bush officials denied British author J.K. Rowling a Presidential Medal of Freedom because her "Harry Potter" books "encouraged witchcraft."

The Bush administration also passed up Sen. Ted Kennedy because he was a liberal, Latimer writes. (Kennedy received the medal from President Obama in August.) Among others, Bush presented medals to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, author Harper Lee and boxer Muhammad Ali. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States' highest civilian award, and is given to citizens who "have contributed to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

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JK Rowling Lost Out On US Medal Over Harry Potter 'Witchcraft' [The Guardian]


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