"'I really cannot stress enough (as I did at our last meeting) that we need to be careful about what we say to the press. I obviously don't control your access to the media, but I do care about you guys and don't want anyone to get themselves in a tough spot,' Mr. O'Neill wrote. 'We should not want to be out in front of our clients on an issue that is important to the President & Leadership.'"
"In that e-mail, Mr. O'Neill told staffers: 'If your member wants you to circulate negative talking points or to talk to the press, that's one thing.' But he warned against making negative comments 'without your client's permission. We're all in this together.'
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If a political machine does not allow the people free expression, then freedom-loving people lose their faith in the machinery under which their government functions (re: The Battle of Athens.) ~~~ Eleanor Roosevelt