Magazine blacklisted for twins' photos

Incarcerated twin look-alikes have sparked Bush fury

The US magazine Talk has been blacklisted by the White House for running a photo spread which portrays President George W Bush's twin daughters as glamorous jailbirds.

The Bush family is reported to be outraged by the photos published by the magazine's August featuring two models resembling the two 19-year-olds, Jenna and Barbara, locked up behind bars.

The photo spread, which also features a President Bush look-alike, was accompanied by captions such as "Grand Ol' Party", "Arrested Development" and finally "Compassionate Conservatism? You're grounded."

The twins fell into trouble with the law earlier this year when they used fake identity cards to buy cocktails in a bar in Texas, where their father was governor before taking on the presidency.

Texas law prohibits anyone under 21 from buying or drinking any alcohol.

Troubled Talk

Journalists at Talk magazine, edited by the British Tina Brown, say that White House officials are refusing to respond to questions or requests for information as a result of the offending photo feature.

Talk is owned by Miramax, whose chairman Harvey Weinstein has been involved in fundraising for the Democrats.

Correspondents say it is very rare for the presidency to break off contacts with a publication because it has been critical.

Talk is not the first magazine to express interest in the Republican president's daughters - the twins' mother, Laura Bush, called on the media recently to leave her daughters alone.

Mr Bush said the girls had initially asked him not to run for the presidency because they feared they would lose their privacy.

Beer bothers

The twins, who are both university students, have frequently come into the media spotlight with alcohol-related escapades.

Jenna made headlines just two weeks before May's margherita incident when she was found in another Texas bar drinking beer.

On that occasion, she was given eight hours of community service and ordered to take counselling for alcohol abuse.

Many people believe the drinking restrictions in the US are unfair since 18 year-olds can legally vote, marry, have children, own firearms and risk their lives in the armed forces, yet they cannot legally sip a glass of wine in a restaurant.