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      *Michael Jackson may have Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Jr. to thank for never having received a formal Presidential letter praising his efforts against drunk driving and generosity toward disadvantaged youth.

      The Washington Post reports that during Roberts’ old gig as a young assistant to Reagan-era White House counsel Fred Fielding – in June and September 1984 – he wrote a memo to his boss opposing repeated requests by Jackson's handlers for a Presidential letter praising the singer’s anti-drunk driving efforts and his dispensing of free concert tickets to poor kids.

      In a June 22 memo to Fielding, Roberts wrote: "I see no need to have the president send a letter to Mr. Jackson, simply because Mr. Jackson's public relations firm has requested one."

       In another memo on the matter, dated Sept. 21, Fielding wrote: "I hate to sound like one of Mr. Jackson's records, constantly repeating the same refrain, but I recommend that we not approve this letter. Frankly, I find the obsequious attitude of some members of the White House staff towards Mr. Jackson's attendants, and the fawning posture they would have the president of the United States adopt, more than a little embarrassing.”

       He dismissed Jackson’s ticket giveaways as a "calculated commercial decision that does not warrant gratitude from our nation's chief executive."

       Later in the memo, he added, "In today's Post there were already reports that some youngsters were turning away from Mr. Jackson in favor of a newcomer who goes by the name of 'Prince,' and is apparently planning a Washington concert." He then asked Fielding: "Will he receive a presidential letter?"