Collester Backs Away From First Lady's Remarks

MAVOCKE--Just because his wife endorses Dlg. Jim Frasier for president doesn't mean President Byelle endorses the Deschire Conservative, Press Secretary David Arnett said Monday.

Collester is distancing itself from remarks First Lady Sharon Byelle made over the weekend in Wellington after a speech she gave to the conservative think tank Wellington Solutions. Following her speech, the First Lady took questions from the audience. One person asked which conservative candidate she felt would make a better president.

"I don't think there's any difficulty determining that," Byelle said. "One is a distinguished delegate who has served admirably for decades and has stayed true to the principles of the conservative party, and the other is a disgruntled employee who's using his dismissal from my husband's administration as a rallying cry and anthem for his campaign."

Immediately upon hearing her comments, a few John Shirley supporters stood up and heckled the First Lady, yelling, "He's a conservative too!" and "your husband fired him for no reason!" Several people booed.

To those shouts, the First Lady replied, "John Shirley is a traitor. I have no problem saying that. It's true. He's not a true conservative. He's fake. He's opposed conservative ideas and values for years. He's a liberal masquerading as a conservative...a wolf in sheep's clothing, you could say," she said to laughs from the audience.

The hecklers were removed from the auditorium, though afterward, several other members of the audience expressed discomfort with Byelle's comments.

"I think she has made this too much of a personal issue, and she shouldn't have said what she said," Karry Repol said.

John Shirley's campaign felt the same way.

"Sharon Byelle was totally and absolutely wrong to make the remarks she made about Dep. Sec. Shirley. Her words were wholly unwholesome, inappropriate and hurtful. John is not a disgruntled employee, and he is certainly not a traitor. If anyone's a traitor, it's Sharon Byelle for attacking a fellow conservative and questioning John's genuineness," campaign spokesman Jared Spokes said in an email to GNN NEWS.

Spokes continued, "The fact is John Shirley is not a disgruntled employee. Yes he was fired, but he wasn't fired because he was incompetent or incapable or unqualified. He was fired because he disagreed with the president's decision to send troops to Iraq, and when he voiced his opposition, he was eliminated. What makes this worse is that the president, first lady, and others in Congress have questioned John's patriotism and conservative loyalty because he didn't agree with them. With this administration, it's basically if you don't support the war, you're portrayed as an unpatriotic traitor.

"John is just as much a conservative as Sharon or her husband or anyone else. He happens to hold different ideas and views on some issues than other members of his party. But that does not make him a traitor. Sometimes, his progressive views come under attack from people like the First Lady, who want to keep the conservative party the same old, humdrum, exclusive party it is. These people aren't open to new ideas and essentially try to squelch any opposition to their same, old, ordinary, radical agenda."

What complicates this issue further is that on Saturday, September 29th, before his wife's controversial comments were made, President Byelle told students at the University of POG-Lake City that he wouldn't endorse either Dlg. Jim Frasier or former Dep. Sec. of Foreign Affairs John Shirley for the conservative nomination.

"Dlg. Frasier is a committed and dedicated member of Congress who has fought on behalf of the people of Deschire and Grassadella on many issues. And Deputy Secretary Shirley is a former member of my administration who has a wealth of knowledge and has served admirably in public service for years. They are both good men," Byelle said. "But I'm not going to endorse one over the other, because they're both well-qualified individuals, and the nominating process is not up to me, it's up to the conservative voters."

Collester did not address the First Lady's comments until Monday, when Press Secretary David Arnett told the media that the first lady does not speak for the president.

"Do they disagree? Absolutely. The president disagrees with his wife that he should endorse someone. And I think it's important to say that while the first lady may have some pointed feelings toward Deputy Secretary Shirley, the president does not. He holds no hard feelings. He considers John Shirley a friend, a colleague, and a distinguished public servant. He does not consider him a traitor or a fake conservative."

Shirley's campaign felt Arnett's comments were not enough.

"It's clear the president is trying to remain neutral and silent on this, but they can't muzzle the first lady. This is bad PR for Collester and the president, and I'm sure this did them no favors," John Adams, a spokesman for the Shirley campaign said Monday afternoon.

Also Monday, several conservative members of Congress called on the first lady to apologize.

"I think she ought to apologize face to face to John and tell him she deeply regrets what she said," Dlg. Steven McIntosh (LIA) said at a press conference.

McIntosh was joined by Dlgs. Brian Altamont (DMG), Dale Fulbright (ARA), Richard C. Parker (TRI), and Victoria Albright (CEA) in calling for Byelle's apology.

As of Monday afternoon, the first lady had not apologized. Her office did confirm that she will hold a press conference Tuesday morning, however. GNN NEWS will keep you up-to-date with this story.