Musharraf uses book deal to dodge "bomb" spat

Musharraf uses book deal to dodge "bomb" spat

By Matt Spetalnick Fri Sep 22, 5:26 PM ET

President George W. BushWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan's leader cited a book deal during an appearance with President George W. Bush on Friday to avoid talking about a purported U.S. threat to bomb his country back to the Stone Age after the September 11 attacks.

With his memoir due out on Monday, President Pervez Musharraf managed to plug his book while smoothing diplomatic waters after talks with Bush on their partnership in the war on terrorism and efforts to combat a Taliban resurgence.

Musharraf, in an interview with CBS News magazine show "60 Minutes" to air on Sunday, charged that after the September 11 attacks, the United States threatened to strike Pakistan if it did not cooperate in America's campaign against the Taliban.

Musharraf said Richard Armitage, then deputy secretary of state, told Pakistan's intelligence director, "'Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age."'

Bush, hailing Musharraf as an important ally, insisted on Friday he knew of no such U.S. threat, and Armitage said he never issued such a warning.

"The first I've heard of this is when I read it in the newspaper today," Bush said as he stood next to Musharraf at a White House news conference. "I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words."

Musharraf, who told CBS the Stone Age warning was a "very rude remark, dodged a reporter's question on the issue, citing a contract with his publisher for his memoir, "In the Line of Fire."

"I would like to -- I am launching my book on the 25th, and I am honor-bound to Simon & Schuster not to comment on the book before that day," he said.

"In other words, "Buy the book," is what he's saying," Bush said amid laughter from the assembled journalists.

It was unclear, however, why the book deal would not have stopped Musharraf from airing the complaint earlier to CBS.

Both Simon & Schuster and the CBS network are owned by media giant CBS Corp., formerly part of Viacom Inc.

An article on my post from earlier....I'm still looking for a video link.