What'd He Say?

Bet HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson (right) wishes he could take back his words.

Oh, wait. Maybe he can!

Afterall, this is Washington, and the official language here is "doublespeak."

The Dallas Business Journal related the story of how Secretary Jackson quashed a contract because the contractor didn't like President Bush:

"'He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years,' Jackson said of the prospective contractor. 'He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something ... he said, 'I have a problem with your president.'

'I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I don't like President Bush.' I thought to myself, 'Brother, you have a disconnect -- the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn't be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don't tell the secretary.'

'He didn't get the contract,' Jackson continued. 'Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe.' "

The Secretary's office first confirmed the words were spoken.

But now, they say the story itself -- of government retaliation for free speech -- was a fabrication. So the best case scenario here is that the Secretary lied to his audience. (Dallas Business Journal/Think Progress)