Labour has hired an American spin doctor known as the "garbage man" for publishing pictures doctored to show George Bush taking cocaine. The party faces controversy over "dirty tricks" after it said Zack Exley, 35, is working full-time on its campaign.



He is notorious in Washington as an expert in the use of the internet to spread black propaganda. President Bush was moved to call him a "garbage man". Other stunts included fake photographs of Mr Bush smoking a joint and spoof articles by him.



Mr Bush's team tried to close down one website run by Mr Exley during the 2000 presidential campaign. Mr Bush's supporters cried foul again last year after he was brought into the Kerry campaign fresh from running another Bush-baiting website, MoveOn. He has also worked with Stan Greenberg, a business partner of Philip Gould, Tony Blair's personal pollster
 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=615230

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