The former US ambassador to Ireland, Mr Richard Egan, has warned the publisher of Irish America magazine she had "better think twice before trying to influence American politics" as "the Irish are not the only ones with long memories".
Mr Egan, one of President Bush's top fund-raisers, also complained in a letter to the magazine of increasing anti-US sentiment in the Irish media, and accused unnamed Northern Irish parties of "dysfunctional behaviour".
The former envoy wrote the letter to protest at alleged bias in favour of Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry in an article in the latest issue of Irish America.
The magazine's co-founder and editor-in-chief, Ms Patricia Harty, accused Mr Egan of misreading the article, which laid out side by side without comment the positions of Mr Bush and Mr Kerry on Ireland.
Referring to the "implied threat that I 'better think twice before trying to influence American politics'," she said Irish America was an American publication and she was an American citizen.
"I'm sure I need not remind you of the First Amendment, which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest freedoms ever given to any country," she said in reply.
In his letter Mr Egan asked whether the magazine favoured American or Irish interests. "During my time in Ireland I witnessed increasing anti-American sentiment, particularly in the media," he wrote.
"It had little to do with Northern Ireland, but NI was a means to commence disdain for America by blaming our inability to rectify the disparate and often dysfunctional behaviour by those parties that initiated and continue to be responsible for this tragic situation."
This was "not unlike other internal world conflicts in which it seems everyone expects America to solve", he went on. "When we try we are criticised, and when it appears we are not trying we are also criticised."
He then suggested "that you had better think twice before trying to influence American politics - the Irish are not the only ones with long memories".
Ms Harty stated: "We asked both campaigns to answer a number of questions on Northern Ireland. The Kerry campaign referred us to its statement on Ireland, which we published, and the Bush campaign answered the specific questions that we put to them. We published both. "
The former US ambassador left his post in Ireland at the end of 2003. Mr Egan recently described his second year in Dublin as "very, very boring".