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Deaver and Thompson: P.R. Crisis Averted

Public relations powerhouse Edelman dispatched blogger-friendly employees Mike Krempasky and Marshall Manson to clean up a mess created by a Daily Telegraph article that I linked to earlier today about President Reagan’s former aides’ jumping on the Fred Thompson bandwagon. Reagan media consultant Mike Deaver, now a vice chairman at Edelman, was quoted as saying favorable things about Thompson.

After scores of bloggers wrote about the story today, include fellow RedState contributor Mark Kilmer, Deaver must have been nervous that some bloggers took his favorable comments as an endorsement for Thompson. Tonight we learn from Krempasky and Manson that that’s not the case at all. Deaver, in fact, won’t endorse any of the candidates seeking the GOP nomination.

Why is this significant? The fact that Edelman dispatched two vice presidents to set the record straight should tell you something about the seriousness of the situation. It also reveals Edelman’s concern not to be labeled as a Republican firm, despite Deaver’s clear leanings in that direction. But the biggest lesson coming out of this episode is how the blogosphere has once again redefined how news is made and big companies such as Edelman are forced to respond.