Listen,

I don’t expect to be warmly embraced by the National Review, but there are certain rules of journalism that I think we all should be bound by.

Nina Shea has based her story on a nonexistent position.

She claims that my approach to fighting genocide is to attack and shame the Bush administration. Based on what? Where, in any record on this issue have I been anything but supportive of this administration?

I said that President Bush wants to end this genocide, but he needs our help. I talked about the importance of bipartisan support for the president…Senator Brownback (Kansas), a Conservative, and I stood together challenging the world community to pressure the Sudanese government…to tell the U.N. and the administration that we will help them in any way to build a multilateral African coalition either by a beefed up African Union or a NATO bridge force. I sat with Josh Bolton for an hour and told him that I know that this is high on the president’s list of priorities and that those of us on the left (not often on the side of this administration) will do anything to help support those efforts. I spoke with John Bolten (the U.N. ambassador) and said the same. My message has been clear from the beginning. “President Bush wants to act and needs help from the American people and the rest of the world to pressure the government of Khartoum.”

Believe me I don’t mind this magazine going after me…it’s a source of pride in my family. But I do mind when your facts are far from the truth.

I stand with liberals and conservatives, Christians and Muslims, good reporters and Nina Shea in trying to improve the chances of an end to the first genocide of the 21st century.

Your Fan, George Clooney