In regards to Gannon

[dsc]

One of two things are true.

A) The White House security apparatus did a real security check on Mr. Gannon and missed his websites (which were still up) that showed him to be engaged in illegal activity.

B) The White House security apparatus was either evaded by someone or somepeople or it voluntarily let Mr. Gannon in despite it finding the websites (presumedly on orders of someone)

Neither one of these senarios is very good for the White House but senario A is much worse. The fact is that there are few better places for a terrorist to do his dirty work than as a favored reporter at the White House. If the security apparatus actually missed this, when bloggers could figure it out in days, then I fail to see how they wouldn't have missed a terrorist backround. Imagine what a terrorist could do with that position. Think Danny on the West Wing (minus the dating the press secretary part). I happen to believe senario B but if the White House is going to insist on senario A then we need to tell the public exactly what senario A really means.

[ewagner]

1. Possibly "C"

Security found everything but was overridden by (multiple choice)

a: Scottie McClelland
b: Ari Fleisher
c: KKKarl Rove
d: Dubya himself at Scottie's request
e: All of the above.

[dsc]

4. actually that is covered by B

Since no one came forward or resigned I would classify that as willingly letting him in after intercession by someone.

[ewagner]

8. Oops!

Sorry....thought I'd elaborate a bit.

[Debi]

2. It just seems dirty

to use the word scenario with Jeff Gannon...must be my small mind!

No matter how you look at the the WH has some explaining to do! If it's not lax security then it's favoritism that equals false reporting (if you can't trust the Government....)

To think there was bitching about people sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom, now we have to worry about people with the closest access to the President having covert lives (that aren't that covert...)

[immoderate]

3. "All the world is a stage..."

-IMM

[Spazito]

5. Exactly!

That, too, has been my contention, security and how 'Jeff'/James was able to circumvent it to not only get access to the WH but to be in close proximity to the President as well as being one of the very FEW called upon by the President to ask a question.

If the WH says it was gross negligence on the part of the agency that is responsible for the security checks it opens a whole shit load of new questions.

If the security check was bypassed, why and authorized by whom? Another load of new questions would be generated.

[democracyindanger]

6. They'll use A

Some functionaries you've never heard of and will never hear of again will get "fired." They'll even go as far as SpendingMoreTimeWithMyFamily-ing some vaguely familiar official. Then they'll complain that we're being partisan.

[sandnsea]

7. Fake news

Commercials using fake reporters, columnists paid to deliver the administrations agenda, fake news web sites ala balkantimes.com, and now a fake reporter in the WH press corps.

Fake news. Propagannon. I don't care how it happened, the result is the same and it's clear it's an Administration plan. Fake news, Pravda, whatever you want to call it.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. I agree, but propaganda is only one part of the picture...

The Plame connection and the national security aspect of allowing regular access to the president by an alias using prostitute are extremely important issues as well.

For instance, what if Gannon had sexual relations with a top white house official? Would that official, especially in this administration, be a possible target for blackmail that could compromise national security?

What about basic background checks of people having contact with the president? How did this come down?

if we limit our questions to "Is the government employing paid propagandists" (answer, yes) we are missing the big picture.

[sandnsea]

11. Sorry, that's sensationalism

Based on a bunch of what if's that are likely to never be proven. Paid propagandists seems to me to be the biggest picture of them all. Let me repeat that, news that is PAID FOR. FAKE NEWS. Hellooooo??????

I swear some days I think the left is just dumb as a box of rocks too. Why we lose, we chase shit we can't prove, over and over and over. If this story lasts until Wednesday it'll be amazing and only because Gannon wants it to.

[John Q. Citizen]

12. So you are saying the White House paid Gannon for propaganda?

I hadn't read that.

[sandnsea]

13. I am saying

The White House created commercials with phony journalists.

The White House paid 3 columnists to write stories promoting their agenda.

The White House is backing a military PR plan to make sure the U.S. message is “more closely reinforced" through fake news web sites like the balkantimes.com

The Pentagon has launched its own television channel.

GOPUSA and Talon News are fake news organizations. Jeff Gannon is a fake name and he is a fake reporter.

Now those are facts and those are the facts that I stated. If this was hammered home on every news outlet, like the Republicans would do if they had the story, what do you think the public's conclusion would be?

Once you get that squarely in the public's mind, then you go for the Plame investigation and who was responsible for him getting into the WH and being put on Bush's list of reporters. THIS is circumstantial evidence because these are hard facts. The way it's been handled so far, it's either dirt, which is always good but not good enough to rise to the level of public outrage. Or it's Plame, and another lingering story that will die along with the rest of them. There's a reason Rep. Slaughter pointed to the 3 paid columnists in her letter, I wish she'd included the rest of the fake news coming out of this Administration.

[KoKo]

10. Gannon/Gurket claims FBI Interviewed him for 90 Minutes about Plame...

Now, that's back aways almost a year ago. So...how in the world wouldn't the FBI have done a check on this guy. It was easy enough to find for Bloggers using Google and AmericanBlog get's a whistle blower showing that "Gannon's" sites are there, and one is still active if you go into the links.

Don't tell me that folks didn't know who this guy was. That's the puzzle to me. Why were Internet Bloggers "allowed" to track this down so fast when no one else "seemed" to know?

And, I think our press could have run a little search on this guy. What would you do if in your job you knew someone was really suspect? Washington Press Corps is a CLUB...they ALL KNOW EACH OTHER. Where were our "establishment press on this?" And what about Helen Thomas.. Wouldn't Helen have picked up the stench of this guy? She's been in DC longer than all of them AND...she knows everyone.

It's very curious...