Lobbying for Libya--and Bush

"It's so blatantly obvious that there is coordination between the Bush campaign, the Kaddafi regime and the oil companies," said Dan Cohen, whose daughter was killed in the Lockerbie bombing. "If it weren't so serious, it would be laughable." Asked about Hudome's role, Steve Schmidt, deputy communications director for the Bush campaign. said: "We have hundreds of thousands of people who have volunteered their time to the Bush campaign. She is one of them." He declined further comment.

Hudome is not among the 15 Middle Eastern Americans who signed the letter, released by the newly formed Middle Eastern National Conference. Instead, it is signed by individuals who are described only as "Lebanese American" or "Assyrian American" or "Muslim American"--although many apparently are affiliated with organizations that plan to promote the endorsement on their Web sites. The group said in an press release that it is "based in Washington" but Phares, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, acknowledged that it doesn't actually have an office or a Web site. The letter praises the president's record "in the areas of U.S. national and homeland security, the international campaign against terrorism and the promotion of human rights, democracy and self-determination."

While Phares told NEWSWEEK he only asked Hudome to advise him on press strategy, Hudome said she actually did much more than that. "When he [Phares] sent it to me, I told him this was way, way too long and had too much mishmash," Hudome said. "I rewrote the press release and told him you need to have these points."

Although Phares insisted his organization has no formal connection to the Bush-Cheney campaign, Hudome's e-mail exchanges with Phares were copied to Jafar Karim, a top Bush-Cheney campaign official who serves as "national coalitions director." He did not return a telephone call and e-mail request for comment today.

"Walid, attached is the press release. Please fill in your contact number, letter head, etc. Also I need city and states to show geographical diversity," reads an Oct. 23 email--written all in upper case--from Hudome to Phares. Leave the last page as talkers for those who will be called by the press. Please let me know of approval ASAP so I can help you distribute to the press," Hudome's email continues.

In another Oct. 25 e-mail, in which Karim was also copied, Hudome said she had used Google to search for information about the prospective signatories of the Bush endorsement and advised that one of them, an Arab-American activist in Virginia, should not be included "for the reasons we discussed."