Gannon Phase Three: It's not about the sex, it's about the lying

[EarlG]

PHASE ONE.
In the first phase of the Gannon story, we learned that a "reporter" who was tossing suspiciously softball questions during White House press briefings was using a fake name and working for a fake news organization. This news was interesting enough to bring us on to...

PHASE TWO.
In the second phase of the Gannon story, we learned that the "reporter" was also a gay male prostitute who was advertising himself on websites while he still had access to the White House. Thanks to the blogs, Keith Olbermann, and the Daily Show, these revelations have sparked a little more interest from the mainstream media, most notably the Today Show this morning. Which now leads us to...

PHASE THREE.
Today we have learned that Jeff Gannon had access to the White House http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3125761">before his news organization even existed. Additionally we have learned that he was apparently in possession of a so-called "hard pass." At which point we can safely say:

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SEX - IT'S ABOUT THE LYING.

Let's go to the tape:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050210-6.html

Q Jeff Gannon. How did he get a White House pass, or what kind of credentials did he have?

MR. McCLELLAN: Just like anyone else who comes to the White House.

Q Hard pass?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, he had never applied for a hard pass. He had a daily pass. I think he's been coming for --

BZZZZZT! Wrong answer.

Q As Press Secretary, what do you think about this whole --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, like I said -- what do I think about it? Well, let me explain a few things. First, as the press secretary, I don't think it's the role of the Press Secretary to get into picking or choosing who gets press credentials. Also, I don't think it's the role of the Press Secretary to get into being a media critic, and I think there are very good reasons for that. I've never inserted myself into the process. He, like anyone else, showed that he was representing a news organization that published regularly, and so he was cleared two years ago to receive daily passes, just like many others are...

BZZZZZT! Wrong answer.

So remember folks - from here on out, it's not about the sex, it's about the lying. McClellan has been caught lying, and now we need some answers:

Why did Gannon have access to the White House before he even belonged to his phony news organization?

Was a background check performed on Gannon, like the one that was performed on Maureen Dowd?

Why did Gannon have a "hard pass?"

Why is McClellan lying about this?

Let the media know that you want the answers to these questions.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

1. If its about lying, thats what the repukes impeached clinton for....

when will bush and his cabel get their day in court?

[Spinzonner]

4. You can't impeach a press secretary

He serves at the 'pleasure' of the pResident

[Blue_Roses]

38. this goes much deeper than just the

"press secretary" --try Karl Rove. Gannon was probably his boy toy. Explains how Gannon could know about Plame and that can be impeachable if it's found that Bush knew anything about these two "sharing secrets"

[HulkamaniacUM]

43. McClellan is a worm

A press secretary has two jobs:

1.) Defend the president and his policies at all costs
2.) Say what your bosses want you to say

If something is amiss with this Gannon thing -- and where there's smoke, there's fire -- it is a whole helluva lot bigger than Scott McClellan.

My guess is Rove, but that's a shot in the dark. He's the one who makes the screws turn.

[Bluebear]

90. welcome to DU hulk

[Blue_In_AK]

7. It was the lying UNDER OATH ...

...that got the Republicans' knickers all in a twist over Clinton. Can any of these people be brought under oath over this Gannon thing?

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

11. I still don't get that...

The pResident took an oath when he was sworn in (twice to be exact). That oath included protecting America, etc. He has LIED and done more HARM under that oath then when Clinton said no sex under his....

it just makes my head spin :eyes:

[me b zola]

23. Also,

...He nominated for SOS someone whom had worked for him that he knew had lied under oath.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

27. Oh yea! can't forget the rest of liars.....all under oath too

[Senior citizen]

35. Unfortunately, the oath is hollow.

All government employees take an oath, but I know of absolutely no penalties for failing to uphold one's oath. It's a sham. And a shame.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

55. except in clintons case

and it is a low down dirty shame

[EarlG]

12. No, it was the sex that got their knickers in a twist

- along with the rest of the country. The lying was just a convenient way for them to pretend otherwise.

I'm suggesting we try the same tactics :)

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

17. And I totally agree, great post EarlG!

:yourock:

[MADem]

67. You're right

SEX SELLS. If it sells, we may as well use it. I'm hoping they stay on McClellan. I think he and Gannon are "good friends."

[Vincardog]

13. Clinton never LIED UNDER OATH

The definition of 'SEX' for that question was clearly defined as Penile penetration. "I did not have 'SEX' with that woman" was and is true. Quit repeating the lies.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

14. RIGHT ON! n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

22. Sorry, I wasn't repeating the lie...

...which I certainly don't agree with. I was just saying that the way they justified their impeachment proceedings was the "under oath" part. OF COURSE, it was the sex, but it was the "lying" that gave them their "legal" grounds for impeachment proceedings. I agree, it's twisted.

Please don't think I'm justifying ANYTHING that ** has done, and I agree with the poster who says that ** swore to uphold the constitution, but he's been doing everything in his power to destroy it. ...

[leftynyc]

25. Sorry, you're wrong about that

He was asked during the Paula Jones civil suit deposition whether he was ever alone with Monica and he said no. But since lying under oath IN FRONT OF A GRAND JURY was sooo much sexier (to the puke pigs in congress), that's what he was impeached for. So, you're right in what you were saying about he not lying in front of the Grand Jury - he most assuredly did not - but he did lie under oath.

[H2O Man]

74. Perjury.

We often have trouble understanding what perjury -- or lying under oath -- means, because there are actually two types. Vince Bugliosi covers this in his wonderful book "The Betrayal of America" in pages 77-86. Clinton committed the first type, known as defensive perjury. It is the common defensive lie that occures whenever a guilty person pleads "not guilty." However, if and when they are found guilty, they are not then charged with perjury. Likewise, in 99.9999999% of divorce cases, one or both parties lies. Sometimes big lies, sometimes small lies. It could be a husband saying, "I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman!" While we may think "weasel," that person is never charged with perjury. It doesn't mean (s)he is honest or their lies were okay. Just means they were telling defensive lies that cause no harm to others.

The other kind is what His Honesty Judge Rehnquist committed after being appointed to the Supreme Court, when he was being considered for Chief Justice. "The second and by far the most serious type of perjury is .... where one lies under oath to further ones own ends, particularly where in the process he is seriously hurting a third party, such as accusing an innocent person of a crime." (Bugliosi; pg 80) This type normally leads to criminal prosecution.

Clinton was likely one of millions of Americans who has lied about sex outside of marriage, while in a civil case. He remains the only person ever charged for it. Compare this with Chapter Six of "Big Lies" by Joe Conason, which deals with the "private lives and public lies" of our favorite republicans.

[ProfessorGAC]

86. One More Note

Perjury requires the lie be material to the point of ejudication. So, lying about sex with someone completely disconnected to the case, and with no merit for creating a pattern of violations of civil rights (remember, this was NOT a sexual harassment lawsuit), fails the materiality test.

So, lying is lying, but not all lying, even under oath, is perjury of any kind, defensive or otherwise.
The Professor

[Jacobin]

2. That has a familiar ring to it!!!!

:bounce:

[Marnieworld]

3. Yes! Exactly! Yes!

Also:

What is Gannon/Guckert's involvement with the Valerie Plame scandal?
What is Gannon/Guckert's involvement with the CBS Rather Memos?

[EarlG]

8. Good questions

But, in light of today's new evidence, somewhat irrelevant at this point, IMO. They are questions which need to be answered, to be sure, but we have right here, on video, the White House press secretary caught lying. This has opened up brand new questions about Gannon's access to the White House. I think that's where we should be focusing right now.

Who let him in there? Why? And why lie about it?

[jdj]

93. McClellan is a damn good liar. He seems like he's stumbling,

or just can't remember, or is a little inept, but really he's slicker than shit.

He was a brillian replacement for Ari, who was openly offensive and antagonistic toward the press.

McClellan, however, is convincing as a bumbling idiot.

[robbedvoter]

5. Also, prostitution isn't about sex - which is why it's illegal

[Jacobin]

16. It's not?

What's it about?

what act is done in exchange for the money?

:shrug:

[meganmonkey]

24. I love your flying dove, robbedvoter! n/t

[catmandu57]

6. That's it it's the lying

Nobody that I know of likes being lied to, may this little snowball pick up speed and mass and knock the whole crooked bunch on their collective asses.

[Cha]

9. I was "impressed" with Mo Dowd's story on guckert..

snips~

I am very impressed with James Guckert, a k a Jeff Gannon.

How often does an enterprising young man, heralded in press reports as both a reporter and a contributor to such sites as Hotmilitarystud.com, Workingboys.net, Militaryescorts.com, MilitaryescortsM4M.com and Meetlocalmen.com, get to question the president of the United States?

Who knew that a hotmilitarystud wanting to meetlocalmen could so easily get to be face2face with the commander in chief?

end snips~

More at..
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/opinion/17dowd.html?

[Bunny]

10. It's the Rule of Law!!! In this country we have the Rule of Law!!!

And, oh yeah... What about the children???? I fear for the children!

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

edited to add MORE punctuation marks!

[Generator]

15. Yeah since Propaganda is a big word for the masses

I'll settle for lying.

But yes, the other side knows that lying is BAD. Can't lie about your sex life. How about lying about someone being a reporter who lies about his sex life (including alleged criminal behavior and unpaid taxes!!) that you pay to lie about the news?

It's a start.

Oh and really..if he has a hard pass..somone let him in...and ignored this criminal behavior. WHY? ( I know but the media might want to think to ask this question, the who where when and why are basic journalism if they care about things like that)

[Just Me]

18. PHASE FOUR: CONSPIRACY TO COVER UP!!! Yes? eom

[Walt Starr]

19. I've already been blasting the media

:evilgrin:

[Padraig18]

20. Thank you, EarlG!

The sex may be more titillating, but it's the lying that really matters!

:thumbsup:

[rumpel]

21. Yes, write the media, demand answers!

:bounce:

[Pithy Cherub]

26. 5 Lying Questions for the employees of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave:

Who lied to admit jim/jeff and keep him there for so long?
How many people lied/ are lying to maintain the fiction that this is SOP for the White House?
What should the American people be told about these lies?
When will anyone and everyone involved in this sordid 'affair' be held accountable for the lies?
Which liar on the public payroll should resign?

[MADem]

28. The only reason people lie is because they have something to hide.

If you pull the Jimmy-Jeff Gannon/Guckert string, I'll bet you find McClellan on the other end of it. If you pull the McClellan string, who's on the other end of that???? Remember, McClellan is no Bush neophyte. America didn't know him until Ari left, but he CAME WITH BUSH FROM TX, and was the "Ari" for Bush when he was the governor. McClellan has a LONGER RELATIONSHIP WITH BUSH THAN ARI DID.

Important little factoid, when you look at the big picture.

So, what happens next? Does McClellan fall on his sword, and say it was all his doing, or does he point the finger to someone else in the executive branch--Card, Rove, someone else?

If the press keeps on this, and the regime can't manufacture a 'terra' alert to get them off the scent, I'm betting that McClellan will take the hit and resign, to be reincarnated in private life working for one of the weecowboy's Rangers or Pioneers (gotta reward those loyal soldiers!). And if that happens, I'll bet the new Mrs. McClellan will file for divorce "sooner rather than later."

[janetle]

47. Remind me about McClellan's brother??

What is his postion?

[MADem]

66. Is he still at the FDA??? n/t

[Kber]

29. kick

[nolabels]

34. Did this get passed around yet?

Thursday, February 17, 2005
Guckert's a Figurative and Literal Whore
(snip)
But wait, there's more. Not only did Guckert enter the White House while he was commanding $1,200 a weekend as a prostitute -- he was also a tax delinquent. The Wilmington News-Journal reported on February 12 that Guckert "failed to pay Delaware more than $20,700 in personal state income tax from 1991 through 1994, according to documents filed in Superior Court in Wilmington." When the News-Journal called Guckert for a comment, all he would say was "When it rains, it pours." What? What does that mean? When you find out that a White House press correspondent is a fake reporter for a fake news organization, apparently that's a slight drizzle. When you find out that the figurative prostitute is also a literal prostitute, that's rain. And when you find out he's also more than $20,000 behind on his taxes, it's pouring. James Guckert must be in a state of intensive umbrella shopping.

So why did the White House conspire to admit Guckert to the briefing room? Writing for The Guardian, Sidney Blumenthal catalogues the many ways in which Guckert was useful to the Bush Reich; Guckert was "used by the White House press secretary to interrupt questions from the press corps," and he "disseminat smears about critics and opponents, some of them gay-baiting;" thus, he was protected from FBI screening. Is there more? Blumenthal points out that Guckert was "unmasked not only as a hireling and fraud but as a gay prostitute, with enormous potential for blackmail."

This angle has been explored intriguingly by The Nashua Advocate and Raw Story, who remind us that Scott McClellan reportedly visited gay bars in Texas. Raw Story also theorizes that Democrats may be soft-pedaling the sex angle for fear of a McCarthyesque outing campaign against prominent officials who are secretly gay -- a group which may include McClellan and countless others, and about which Guckert might know something.

Insiders may be afraid of what Guckert might know, but it can't be scarier than the Bush Reich's fascist manipulation of the fourth estate. In her Times editorial today, Maureen Dowd says, "Even the Nixon White House didn't do anything this creepy." That's true. But what brought Nixon down -- what forced him to resign in the midst of his second term -- was a small matter compared to the greater, deadlier crimes of his administration. Not only as bloggers, but as liberals; not only as Democrats, but as Americans; it's our responsibility to restore democracy to this shattered republic. It's our responsibility to exploit the increasing weakness of this vile administration, and from that angle, the Guckert saga is a blessing. These are the building blocks of Emperor Bush's political demise.
(snip)
http://nerofiddled.blogspot.com/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

39. Beautifully put! n/t

[H2O Man]

30. Combine this with

a new thread started by Goldmund called "Gannon had access to the Aug 6th PDB (Dana Marshall)", also on GD. This thread shows that Gannon posted quotes from the Aug 6th PDB before it was released to the public.

I think it has become impossible to make a case that Gannon was just a sociopathic Forest Gump who used his glib persona to force his way into the press conferences.

[bpilgrim]

80. i agree

it should be obvious that he has connections by his presence in the WH press gaggle alone.

this goes straight to the top and we got the SIZZLE (sex) to keep the media whores interested :evilgrin:

i believe gannon will be the 'tipping point'

:hi:

peace

[LynneSin]

31. Seriously Earl - Let me use DU has my news organization

I'll go in there and ask questions!!

[Festivito]

32. How many more of these operatives are there? nt.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[nothingshocksmeanymore]

36. Yep..it's not the crime, it's the coverup

Not only do I want to know the answers to those questions..I am VERY interested in knowing if Gannon really is gay for the simple fact that if he is NOT, then what were those web sites going to be used for. This administration is predatory and that concerns me.

[Thtwudbeme]

41. By God, there's an angle I didn't think of

No shit.

The names of gays.

[Straight Shooter]

48. Not just gays. Gays with a military connection.

Can you say "blackmail"? Who is a military man or former military man going to trust? I bet he would trust another former military man, possibly, more than just your average Joe (or Jeff).

Very sharp insight! :thumbsup:

[Karenina]

87. Puts a whole new spin

on the deafening sirens and klaxons set off when Clinton tried to make being gay in the military no big deal... Things that make ya go hmmmm...

[Sparkle]

44. Let me get this straight...

He posed in the nude in all those positions (about 50+ pics). Posted them on several websites advertising what he does, for how long and for how much. But he may not be gay? Are you saying he may not have had any clients at all? The websites were a front?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

46. I'm saying he may have used his pics and those sites to seduce

gay people for other reasons.

I am not saying he CAN'T be gay or isn't gay...I am simply saying IF he is NOT gay and even if he is...were those sites simply to make money off porn or to attract people for other reasons...

Not all people who post on or sponsor TEEN sites are actually teens...they are predators...that's all I am saying.

[Sparkle]

52. Oh, I see what you mean.

You could be onto something. Could Gannon (code name Bulldog) be a cia agent of some sort? Hmmm......

[Cooley Hurd]

69. Their use of such a tactic could explain a lot of things...

...like how guys like Frist and Santorum became such fervent Bushbots ('cause Gannon took pictures while "working out" with them).:o

Or maybe they were just morans to begin with...:evilgrin:

Seriously though, I think someone dug up a male escort "review" on the web telling of "Bulldog's" sexual prowess, so I think he's really gay.

[KoKo]

83. Surely the White House Press Corps new about him? So, had he already

entrapped a few of them, and it was a "sympathy" factor? What if it's even more sinister? Date Rape type drugs used when he asked a couple of reporters to have a drink with him to discuss news stories? What if he's an agressor, who compromises people?

Nothing would be beyond these folks and finding a way to compromise the Print Reporters would be something they would look to do, since they already owned the cables. But, still, one thinks he wouldn't have been allowed into that tight circle. But, then I remember the howls when Matt Drudge was invited to the Press Club Dinner and that whore Imus is always interviewing them on his morning show. Imus isn't the press but he sure got chummy with them all of a sudden during Clinton.

Whatever it is...its BIG...otherwise you wouldn't have Howie and Blitzer making fools of themselves. And, that's kind of scary on it's own.

[ultraist]

91. O.M.G...

They used him to lure in gays so they could take them down. Is that what you are saying? Didn't Gannon set up that escort site AFTER he started at GOPUSA?

I had a similiar thought about those White Supremacist gays' sites that someone posted today. (That they were possibly set up by heteros to attract gays and to shame gays).

How creepy. This admin HAS been on a gay witch hunt. I think this scenerio is more likely than the idea that Rove is gay or that there is some secret Gay society among Bush and his cronies.

The churches are also obsessed with with destroying gays and they are big money donors to the Bush camp.

I may well be wrong, but I also see the Bush camp as very predatory.

[tavalon]

79. Not that this angle matters at all

But, yeah, not all people who prostitute themselves to their same sex are homosexual. But to get back to the mantra, it's not about the sex, it's about the lying.

[sandnsea]

37. $88 million FAKE NEWS budget

"They flipped TV's in the West Wing and Air Force One to Fox News. They paid conservative columnists handsomely to promote administration programs. Federal agencies distributed packaged "news" video releases with faux anchors so local news outlets would run them. As CNN reported, the Pentagon produces Web sites with "news" articles intended to influence opinion abroad and at home, but you have to look hard for the disclaimer: "Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense." The agencies spent a whopping $88 million spinning reality in 2004, splurging on P.R. contracts."

That's also in that Maureen Dowd column. And several others today. How did we find out Armstrong Williams was paid by Ketchum? Who else did Ketchum pay? Or Flesichman-Hillard? Or any other subsidiary of Omnicom? How do we get that info?

That's PHASE FOUR.

[Stephanie]

49. PHASE FOUR: Follow the Money

No doubt Gonzales has written a memo that justifies the president planting fake newspeople all over the planet in a time of war. Still, there must be some illegality to nail them with here.

[Beetwasher]

54. Yes, The Money, Indeed

How exactly WAS Gannon paying his bills? Was it all funded through his escort business??? Was that business used to launder funds coming from elsewhere.

I'd love to get a hold of his bank records.

Considering his tax evasion, his books should be able to be opened wide for inspection!

[sandnsea]

56. Trying

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11836

[WildClarySage]

85. Has anyone filed a FOIA for Gannon yet? I wanna know if he was also

being paid with my tax dollars.

[CatWoman]

40. EarlG

you so funny :D

[Stephanie]

42. Your first link in Phase Three is not working

It just goes to a search page.

*edit* Here are previous discussions of Scotty's lies in that press conference.

Scott McClellan Tells a Whopper

McClellan Tells a Whopper, Part 2 (hard pass or daily pass?)

[liberal_patriot_md]

45. Gannongate

This is just crazy. I want to know where all the MSM "Liberal" media is on this.

The part that bothers me most was his access to classified documents. This group thinks it is above the law. Where is the rsponsibility

[Roland99]

50. What if he Guckert got the hard pass when Ari was Press Sec.?

[demo dutch]

59. What if that was the reason Ari suddenly resigned... could it

be that he was under pressure and didn't like it??

read this thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=328968&mesg_id=328968

[Cooley Hurd]

70. From what I understand, Ari's been a PR man for years...

http://www.rjchq.org/Biography.asp?formmode=SingleBio&ID=48

Ari Fleischer is the principal of Fleischer Communications in Washington, DC, Mr. Fleischer served as Press Secretary to President George W. Bush for two years. He previously served as the Senior Communications Adviser and Spokesman for the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.
Prior to joining Governor Bush’s campaign, Mr. Fleischer was the national spokesman and communications director for Elizabeth Dole’s presidential campaign. Mr. Fleischer was hired by the House Committee on Ways and Means after Republicans took control of the Congress in November 1994. As Communications Director there, Mr. Fleischer was the House of Representative’s principal staff spokesman on issues relating to taxes, Medicare, Social Security, welfare and international trade. He also served as press secretary to New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici from 1989 - 1994.

From 1983-1989, Fleischer served as Press Secretary to two members of Congress from New York, and he worked on several political campaigns, including two years as a Field Director at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

I would imagine such shenanigans would be distasteful to a career PR man like Ari. Or not...:shrug:

[MADem]

68. Ari gave an interview (to E and P, I think)

...saying he was uncomfortable calling on Gannon because of his GOPUSA affiliation. Maybe McCLELLAN getting Gannon the pass was one of the things that pushed Ari over the edge....

[DirtyDawg]

51. I Love It...

...every bit of it. I want bushco and everyone associated with them - in this case that mcclellan twerp - to keep on keeping on. Make a mess out of everything you do you jerks. Maybe, just maybe, you'll do enough outrageous shit that you'll manage to insult and disgust enough of your supporters of partisans and fools that we'll be able to get rid of your sorry asses once and for all.

[Sparkle]

53. ....

delete, I think I mistook your post for being a troll.

[DS1]

57. Not before you all but linked it directly in the lounge

like some sort of pitchfork-weilding hero :eyes:

[Sparkle]

64. "pitchfork-weilding hero"

eh?

[understandinglife]

58. Scott, is "Gannon" a Secret Service agent? Scott, does "Gannon" work for..

...the FBI?

Scott, does "Gannon" work for the CIA?

Scott, just who the hell is this guy?

So many real questions........

And, as many have realized since the earliest moments of this story, that dude was not walking the West Wing and sitting in the Press Room with the President of the USA without a bunch of folk KNOWING PRECISELY WHO HE IS (including the FBI, the Secret Service, the White House Chief of Staff, and, most likely, $shrubber himself).

In other words, daypass, shmaypass, hardpass, softpass -- that damn guy WAS THERE NOT BY ACCIDENT. And, whatver photo ID he's wearing you know that it means something really specific to the guys and gals with the big guns at the gates and the entrances to the WH!!

Think I'm joking -- hang your photoID driver's license around your neck and just try to get onto the White House grounds, let alone into the building.

Peace.


DO YOU ENJOY BEING A CITIZEN OF THE ROGUE SUPER_POWER?

[goodhue]

60. Ari speaks . . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1245835

He was concerned about Gannon but Eberle convinced him no problem.

[tsuki]

61. But what about the October cover-up memo (the one he discussed with

Joseph Wilson?) Isn't his access to the cover-up memo as question that should be asked? Where did this cover-up memo originate, and how did he see? gain knowledge of?

[Me.]

62. What Was This Guy Really Up To?

Why was he in place, why the needs for lies? And I'm not accepting that this is about a sex scandal or a story of a lackey propagandist of RW Talon put in place to play Lancelot for Scotty when he needed it or to lob soft balls at the rez. Lying is always about hiding the truth, so what are they hiding? Journalist has been a good cover for operatives before. IMHO, there is more to this story than is apparent at the moment and it all needs to be addressed. So, first the lie and then the why.

[hnsez]

63. DU THIS POLL ON GANNON

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6862172/#survey

[Senior citizen]

77. Done, but disappointing.

It only asked if I wanted to know more about him. Sure. But I was hoping for a question with more depth and discernment, like:

Do you think a gay male prostitute should have access to the White House if a Christian conservative President wants him there?

[Blue Gardener]

65. But I thought he did apply for a hard pass

According to Lautenberg's 2/10/05 letter to McLellan, he said Gannon/Guckert had applied for a hard pass, but was denied Congressional credentials because he could not show that he wrote for a valid news organization.
Is there a way around Congress that would give him access to a hard pass? Could Bush approve a pass without Congressional approval?

[rfrrfrrfr]

76. Your mixing

Up different things here.

Gannon appllied for and was denied a congressional press pass which is much easier to obtain the a presidential press corps press, either the daily or the hard pass. The congressional pass would have allowed him to be in the congressional press box in congress and has nothing to do with getting access to the white house press pool.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

71. Its Baldpate Dome!!!

Lying, corruption and cronyism combined with a deep contempt for the public.

[Callboy]

72. Something stinks and every day it gets worse

[porkrind]

81. You're right. This really stinks

and I think it's getting worse. BTW, welcome to DU!

One does not come from nowhere to be on the WH press corps. Gannon/Guckert it obviously there as a quid pro quo from someone powerful for something. What is that something? Being that Guckert is a male whore, I think one must conclude that he is this powerful someone's boytoy. Who is it in the WH? Rove, *, or Cheney are the only ones I can think of that are this powerful.

WHO IS IT? I think this is Ken Starr / Grand Jury / full-on witch-hunt material. Get the pitchforks!

Come on, Republicans, where is the outrage now?

[hippiegranny]

73. while it may *not* be about the SEX

without the SEX it would be another non-story. This "hook" is the only way 'Murkans wake up and pay any attention to what is going on. Be grateful there is an element of SEX or we would be the only ones talking about it!!

[cthrumatrix]

78. corporate media still will not cover --- we need to push our reps

[G_j]

75. kick

[wishlist]

82. Scotty's downplaying unusual use of a phony name isn't credible either

Scotty was straining credulity to say that the use of an alias is not unusual while also claiming to be ignorant that it was a phony name until just recently. His explanations just do not add up logically in light of the security (including use of real name) that should have been required for someone to get WH passes for two years.

[EFerrari]

84. This evening on "hardball" (please try not to gag)

When asked about ringers, Dana Millbank said, "Foils, well, there's a dozen guys in there."

Neat, isn't it?

[Fovea]

88. My assumptions

1. This story is bigger than what is out so far.

2. The story is both Cheney's and Rove's bad, and Rove may not be handling it anymore.

3. The story's maladroit coverup represents an effort by
Ari and Scott to take back the office of communications director.
That's the deal if they can take Rove down and save Cheney.

4. Cheney now thinks that ** must be constrained. He can't do that with Rove in the way.

[Padraig18]

89. Kick

[ultraist]

92. I agree! WHO hired Gannon? He didn't get into the WH by sheer luck.

So remember folks - from here on out, it's not about the sex, it's about the lying.

;)

WHO hired Gannon? Why isn't the M$M looking into this? Why is Bush stonewalling Slaughter? WHO bypassed the regular security procedures and planted someone with a fake name?

[Cuban_Liberal]

94. Kick for common sense.

:thumbsup: