I thought the new fresh meat of the Kos Kids was Brit Hume.

Jackasses

Oh this is priceless! The wacked out fringe left pollutes the blogosphere. Next on tap for them: Why 9/11 was perpetrated by Karl Rove, and an investigation into the types of nuclear tipped missiles he used.

It's extremely funny -- the right side of the 'sphere takes down some people with serious horsepower (Dan Rather, etc.), and in doing so is reshaping how we, as a culture, receive and communicate news. The left, not to be left behind, is desperately trying to catch up and show their relevance in the new medium. Unfortunately (for them) they are only marginilizing themselves more and more.

" While goofy Maureen Dowd complains that her pass was rejected, she most certainly was writing about a hard pass or a Standing Committee pass, which Gannon too was denied."

No, she was referring to the WH; "I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the "Barberini Faun" is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?

At first when I tried to complain about not getting my pass renewed, even though I'd been covering presidents and first ladies since 1986, no one called me back. Finally, when Mr. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, he said he'd renew the pass - after a new Secret Service background check that would last several months."

"A debate on the merits of Gannon's journalistic credentials is beyond the scope of this post, but he certainly wrote and published stories at an online news organization, regardless of ones opinion of the relative quality of Talon News."

Guckert couldn't get a House/Senate pass because he did not work for a non-partisan news organization. Ari Fleischer says (in E&P) that he stopped calling on Guckert for a week because he didn't think he was legitimate. Ari then says, with a straight face, that he spoke to Bobby Eberle, the founder of GOPUSA, and was convinced that GOPUSA was not partisan. Bobby Eberle is a major Republican operative from Texas and GOPUSA is essentially a party organ.

"Allegation - Gannon had full access to the White House and was running around unchecked in the White House for years."

Where did you find this one?

QUOTE "A debate on the merits of Gannon's journalistic credentials is beyond the scope of this post". Then what is the point of it then?

The whole point of the fuss is that this is a man with no journalistic credentials. He had no training, did not work for anything remotely resembling a proper news organization and cut and pasted Republican talking points whenever he did get anything pubished. He should not have been in the White House.

Do not dismiss this as insane leftwing hysteria. It is a major security issue. If White House security personnel can't spot someone who not only has an assumed name, who does not work for a news organization and, on top of all of that, is a male prostitute then we should all be very worried.

"Allegation - Gannon received the Valeria Plame memo and was subpoenaed by the special prosecutor in the Plame case."

I'm not sure who claimed that he was subpoeneed but Guckert admits in E&P to being questioned by the FBI for 90 minutes.

so all the moonbats worrying about Gannon running around the whitehouse unchecked as some big scandal adn security leak are playing into the stereotype of the homosexual traitor and betrayer!

This is a good current wrap-up of the real story:

Congresswoman wants explanation of White House ties to ex-reporter

By SCOTT SHEPARD
Cox News Service
Friday, February 18, 2005
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/nation/stories/0218_GANNON.html
WASHINGTON —With the mystery of "Jeff Gannon" deepening, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., on Thursday renewed her call for the White House to explain its relationship with a conservative ex-reporter linked to an online gay escort service.

[Note: Steve if you publish copyright materials (in whole) in my comment section again you will be banned permanently. Links and exceprts are fine... ]

"Do not dismiss this as insane leftwing hysteria. It is a major security issue. If White House security personnel can't spot someone who not only has an assumed name"

Oh jeez, he received security clearance based on his REAL name. Duh! How many times must this be repeated?

Funny thing is that us guys on the right have already ACCEPTED the fact that Gannon probably got his day pass because he was a Bush supporter. Yes, they put him there to be a shill. But until leftwing partisans are ALSO removed from the press room we just don't give a fuck.

I pray that the God Of Leftwing Asshats deliver you guys from this idiotic non-story so you can have your lives back.

"The whole point of the fuss is that this is a man with no journalistic credentials."

As opposed to,say, high school dropout Peter Jennings...

" He had no training, did not work for anything remotely resembling a proper news organization"

How much training do you need to get up and ask the President what his biggest mistake was, like a journie did in April 04? Talon News has had fewer scandals than CBS and New York Times lately.

"and cut and pasted Republican talking points whenever he did get anything pubished."

Which is a damn shame -- only DNC talking point allowed! Not to mention Helen Thomas, who gibbers out speeches with question marks at the end.

"He should not have been in the White House."

Why not? They let a whack-job Texas partisan (gives fundraising speeches to Democrats) into the White House... his name is Dan Rather. If Dan gets in, why not him?

"Do not dismiss this as insane leftwing hysteria. It is a major security issue."

An allegedly gay journalist is a security issue? oh, how 1950s of you! Partisan journies a security issue?!? Quick, someone tie Dana Milbank down with rope, he may go crazy on us!!

The goofballs at Kos and DU are pushing this nonstory for all it's worth. I agree with Charles Johnson at LGF when he gave this tempest in a teapot a big YAWN.

Hmmm.

So what's the problem? Aren't the floggers (lefty bloggers) hammering the White House for NOT investigating reporters enough?

Hey who knows. Perhaps MoDo has got some sexual episodes in her past. Could happen.

Hmmm.

"Guckert couldn't get a House/Senate pass because he did not work for a non-partisan news organization"

The humor and irony in this one sentence exceeds the federally allowed daily limits. Read with caution.

Way to go MSM! You've just lowered the bar incredibly! Now we're all free to delve into the sex lives of David Gregory, Howard Kurtz, Wolf Blitzer, Helen Thomas... well, maybe not her.

There's SO many more targets on the left than on the right, and you effected this sea change to get a guy most of us have never even heard of before now.

It just got a whole lot dirtier out there, and you've got no one to blame but yourselves.

It must be terrible to have that little forsight.

"Funny thing is that us guys on the right have already ACCEPTED the fact that Gannon probably got his day pass because he was a Bush supporter. Yes, they put him there to be a shill."

You accept this, and you think it's OK? It's sad that people like you who I would assume are quite smart and reasonable would just blindly ignore abuses of the system for the simple reason that it favors your politics. Are you able to be objective at all?

Would you think it would have been OK for Clinton's administration to hire a shill affiliated with *no news organization at all*, and put him in the white house press pool so he could ask friendly questions? Don't be disingenuous. You guys on the right would be screaming bloody murder.

"But until leftwing partisans are ALSO removed from the press room we just don't give a fuck."

Nice way to falsely change the issue. Yes, there are lefties in the press room, and there are righties. But they are all *legitimate*. We're talking about a shill who was *not affiliated with a legitimate news organization, and initially not affiliated with ANY news organization*. How many lefties are there in the press room who fit that description?

I'm was what the MSM harped on over and over, calling the "value voter" this year. Frankly, I'm a little pissed and wish the WH would put down these allegations sooner than later. A gay hooker with no experience in the press pool is too much.

I still haven't seen an answer to the question: if the Clinton White House had for more than a year given press credentials to a Democratic party operative who was also a homosexual prostitute, what would have been the reaction at places like Little Green Footballs and the National Review?

"It's sad that people like you who I would assume are quite smart and reasonable would just blindly ignore abuses of the system for the simple reason that it favors your politics."

Pot.Kettle.Black.Yawn.

"Would you think it would have been OK for Clinton's administration to hire a shill affiliated with *no news organization at all*, and put him in the white house press pool so he could ask friendly questions?"

He didn't have to. They were shilling for him already.

"How many lefties are there in the press room who fit that description?"

I'm not obsessed with journalistic credentials, you are. I couldn't care less if he/she's a blogger for that matter. I'm far more concerned with a press pool that is ideologically balanced. As it is, most of the reporters are leftwing shills. Until that changes, I will continue to be completely underwhelmed by the Gannon kerfuffle.

This is really quite funny. You're actually claiming to disprove the allegations about Gannon based on what Ari Fleisher is telling you??? Oh come now -- can you really not find a better resource than Scott McClellan's predecessor? Fleisher helped give new mening to the concept of spin during his days as press spokesperson, and was even more dishonest than McClellan, if that's possible. And Tom Maguire, cheerleader for the Swift Boat Vets? Please, this is just a case of wingers scratching one another's backs.

Patrick

Come on now, you really cannot believe such rubbish.

Quote "Talon News has had fewer scandals than CBS and New York Times lately". That is because they are not a news organization about which anyone cares. CBS and NYT are reputable outfits of whom everyone expects high standards.

Talon News could post excerpts from Hitler's diary and accompany them with pictures of a gay frog in a bonnet and it wouldn't cause a scandal. They are not a news organization and noone cares what they do. They are a cover for GOPUSA. That is all.

Peter Jennings may well have dropped out of high school I have absolutely no idea and don't care. He does seem to have worked his way up through the journalistic ranks though and presents a reasonably objective view of world and national events. Unlike Mr Gannon.

My criticizing Gannon for only posting Republican talking points is NOT the same as my saying only Democratic talking points should be allowed. I am saying it is not journalism.

Your Dan Rather comment is so ridiculous I can't be bothered to reply.

He is not an allegedly gay journalist. He is quite clearly a gay male prostitute. This part is not the substance. This is just the prurient icing on the cake.

Thanks Duncan -- spot on. You'd think they'd read their own words before pressing the "post" button; I mean, to compare Talon news to CBS -- what can one say? And if it gives them some peace of mind calling Gannon an "alleged" gay man, despite the overwhelming evidence, never disputed by Talon or GannonGuckert, well then more power to them. But they're only fooling themselves. This story has legs, it has meat (sorry) and it has staying power. It's just starting. The more they call it a "kerfuffle" and the more they try to drown it out with lame half-assed arguments from the likes of official Bush leg-humper Maguire, the more we know they're sweating.

"Pot.Kettle.Black.Yawn."

Wrong. I accepted the Rathergate documents were fake after the first LGF post. I thought those that kept insisting they were real were fools, and wished they would just shut up. That's the difference between you and me, apparently. Yes, I align myself philosophically with the democratic party, but I'm not a blind loyalist. When my team fucks up, I'm secure enough to admit it and tell them to stop fucking up. On the other hand, you simply say "yawn" so you can pretend it's a non-issue, it bores you, and therefore you don't have to feel any shame about it. Pathetic.

"He didn't have to. They were shilling for him already."

Ha ha, you made a Clinton joke. Do you feel superior now? Oh, wait... that was just a way for you to not answer my question and change the issue. Typical tactic. When faced with facts or questions that show how thin your position is, you just fire off an insult and pretend that you're winning the discussion. Lame, lame.

"I'm not obsessed with journalistic credentials, you are."

Uh, we're talking about the White House press room here! You're damned right I'm concerned about journalistic credentials! Once again, you're being disingenuous. If Clinton let non-reporters into his press room, somehow I think you'd be more "obsessed with journalistic credentials".

"I'm far more concerned with a press pool that is ideologically balanced."

Are you telling me that the Bush administration cannot find a handful of conservative legitimate news outlets to let into the press room? I guess they either don't exist, or McClellan is incompetent. Which is it?

How about this... we get rid of the press, and just let them invite ordinary citizens into the room. Equally split between dems and reps. Would you like that? Oh wait, that's called a "town hall meeting", and Bush has already had several of those. Except he only allows reps in, and keeps the dems out. So much for an ideological balance.

"Until that changes, I will continue to be completely underwhelmed by the Gannon kerfuffle."

You're almost laughable. Here you're mixing two completely unrelated issues. One, you think the press room is too left. But because of that, you think it's OK to let paid conservative shills with no press affiliation and no journalism experience into the press room under an assumed name. Nice balance. How about this... "Until airlines have wider seats, I will continue to be underwhelmed by Bush's social security plan."

And keep using "kerfuffle". It's like wearing a tshirt that says, "I'm a lemming."

I truly enjoyed MisterPundit's claim that the reporters in the Clinton press room "were shilling for him already." Does he remember Monicagate, when the press became all Monica all the time? Does he remember Whitewater, a big nothing that became a media obsession? And Paula Jones,etc.? If this is how shills behave toward him for whom they're shilling, I'd love to see what they would have done to Clinton if they weren't shilling. Would they have flayed him alive?

Seriously, MisterPundit -- do you honestly believe the media were shilling for CLinton? Do you truly not remember that he was the focus of more scrutiny by the accursed "MSM" than any president since Nixon?

"How many lefties are there in the press room

Man, I've never seen such a lame attempt by the right to try to make a serious abuse of power look like a non-story. You could post "this story is false because it's raining," and you'd have righties abandoning all reason and agreeing with you. Simply stating a story is marginal doesn't make it so. Your citations are lame and vacuous. Plain BS.

You chose the most insignificant and unsubstantiated aspects of this issue, then you "debunk" them, and then you claim that proves the story is a non-issue. Oh, wait. Some of your "allegations" you admit are true. Oh, and another one you don't even bother to address because it's beyond your "scope". Is the right that desperate to rescue themselves from this embarrassment?

Let's take another look, shall we?

Allegation - Jeff Gannon received a special permanent White House press "hard pass."

Fact - Bogus allegation. Everybody knows he used day passes. That was discussed since day one, weeks ago. Then yesterday, for a few hours, Americablog thought he used a hard pass, but then quickly agreed that it wasn't. And that's what you choose as your #1 argument?!

Allegation - The White House should not have credentialed Gannon because he was a conservative shill not a real reporter.

Fact - So you pose an allegation, and then claim the discussion of it is beyond your scope? So why the hell did you include that allegation in the first place? That is so lame, you big scaredy-cat. Let's have that discussion right now. He wasn't a real reporter. He had access to the white house before Talon News even existed. It doesn't take a genius to see that Talon was established for the sole purpose of giving Gannon the appearance of legitimacy. And since you're so hot to quote Ari Fleischer, how about the quote, "I found out that worked for a GOP site, and I didn't think it was my place to call on him because he worked for something that was related to the party." And "I don't think that party organizations should have people in that room acting as reporters," Fleischer said, explaining his initial concerns. "They are advocates, not reporters, and a line should be drawn."

Allegation - The White House should have know about Gannon's sexual history and barred him from the White House.

Fact - Bogus allegation. Nobody mainstream said this. Yes, some are freaking out because of his sexual history, but no one ever suggested it was grounds for barring him from the White House. This one you're just making up. If not, let's see a source.

Allegation - Gannon had full access to the White House and was running around unchecked in the White House for years.

Fact - Bogus allegation. Nobody mainstream said this. You're making it just so you can call it "scary".

Allegation - Gannon got a press pass while others were rejected.

Fact - This is absolutely true. They don't hand out daily passes to everyone who wants one. You have to be chosen. And Gannon was consistently chosen above reporters who worked for fully legitimate press organizations. This one you can't deny.

Allegation - Gannon attended a press briefing before Talon News was founded.

Fact - You admit this is true. And this doesn't disturb you? They let a shill into the press room, even when he was affiliated with no media organization whatsoever! And you accept this? Are you so blindly loyal to Bush that you can't even criticize a blatent abuse of power? If Clinton pulled that crap, I'd be ashamed. Too bad the righties have no shame.

Allegation - Gannon received the Valeria Plame memo and was subpoenaed by the special prosecutor in the Plame case.

Fact - Bogus allegation. Nobody mainstream said he was subpoenaed by the special prosecutor. You're making this up.

Allegation - Gannon asked softball questions.

Fact - True, this in and of itself is no big deal. Many reporters ask softball questions. But Gannon wasn't a reporter. Do you think it's OK to pad a press room with non-reporters who will ask you softball questions?

Next time you want to defend a position, try addressing the pertinent, mainstream issues. By "debunking" these lameass points, and not even doing that well, you're just showing how weak your position is, and you're embarrassing yourself.

On another blog they headlined this story as "Male prostitue lobs softballs at Bush"

Works on so many levels.

Brian, all they'll do is demagogue you, jeer at you and snarl that you're a moonbat. Tom Maguire and the Wizbang's Kevin are very, very smart people. They know they took a tiny non-issue (the hard pass) and made a big deal out of it. That's the Sean Hannity MO -- find a tiny little thing, or something someone said 20 years ago, twist and conflate it and, voila, you can make anyone you like appear to be a liar, an idiot and a menace to society. No, these guys are shrewd. I watched Maguire do this during the Christmas in Cambodia kerfuffle (and that was a true kerfuffle) and he's playing the same game now. It'll convince the others wingers, but not anyone who looks at the issue dispassionately and with a modicum of critical thinking.

Raise your hands if you ever heard of Gannon before this brouhaha erupted? Talon News? No one? Ok.

How about Dan Rather? CBS? CNN? Oh.

This is about a "serious abuse of power?" OK, whatever you say, I can see you are feeling seriously put upon these days, kind of left out and wondering if the wheel will ever turn again. I don't want to pop your balloon. Enjoy!