Rawstory: Democrats chew over Washington Post story on prostitute-reporter

[sabra]

Seems like they are "scared" to even touch the gay-prostitute angle...

<<SNIP>>
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=86

Democrats make moves behind the scenes as reporter-prostitute story hits Washington Post

Democrats chew over Washington Post story on prostitute-reporter

By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor

Democratic congressmembers are quietly mulling whether to respond to an article in the Washington Post which raises serious questions of how a man who sought to prostitute himself got access to the president, and potentially to a confidential memorandum naming a CIA agent, RAW STORY has learned.

In both the House and the Senate, Democrats are struggling to figure out how best to deal with the issue. No one is touching the sexual elements of the story; rather, the focus is placed on what Democrats see as a continued campaign of media manipulation that involved such columnists as Armstrong Williams.

Senators Kennedy, Dorgan, Durbin, Reid and Lautenberg either declined to comment or did not return calls seeking comment today. Sen. Lautenberg is the likeliest to make a move, since he was the only senator to put out a statement Friday asking for all documents relating to Gannon’s credentialing.

In the House, where Democrats have been aggressively pursuing an inquiry into the discredited reporter, members are still looking at how to respond. The office of the congresswoman leading the charge for an inquiry said that other member’s offices are quietly expressing support.

<</SNIP>>

[Emboldened Chimp]

1. Why not forget that he's gay and just go after the prostitute angle?

Last I heard, it was illegal regardless of orientation.

[sabra]

2. Makes sense to me... good question!

[oldtime dfl_er]

3. why not ignore the sex angle altogether

and ask why a person with no experience and no credentials was getting called on in not only Mc Clelland's daily briefings, but at PRESIDENTIAL PRESS CONFERENCES?

Don't follow the sex, follow the money!

www.cafepress.com/showtheworld

[janx]

6. Those are my thoughts as well.

Who cares how he gets off or how he made his money--except that this guy was no journalist.

[Erding]

29. Ignore the sex angle

I agree. There are more significant issues here than if this dude ran some sex thing. It's all about media manipulation.

[thebigidea]

4. yeah, but when do Kennedy/Dorgan/Durbin talk to "raw story?"

if they don't normally respond, why is it unusual for them not to return calls?

[Walt Starr]

5. DON'T THESE IDIOTS SEE!!! THIS IS PRECISELY WHY THEY CHOSE A MANWHORE!!!!!

It's Rovian strategy in the highest order!!!

They CHOSE a manwhore knowing full well that if anything happened and the idiot was outted, the Democrats would sit on their hands with no clue how to approach the situation.

Rove reads our timid pink tutu Democratic elected officials like a fucking book and has them pegged to the minute how they will react to this shit. This is precisely why Rove chose a manwhore to be their shill in White House press conferences! ROVE KNEW DAMN WELL AND GOOD BEFORE THE MANWHORE EVER STEPPED INTO THE PRESS ROOM THAT HE WAS A MANWHORE!!!

[janx]

11. Journalists will take care of the manwhore angle, Walt.

Journalism is in such a sordid state that some journalists, regardless of ideology, will simply not be able to resist.

And the Dems in Congress are right in their emphasis. No doubt they'll have to look into at least some aspect of the manwhoredom as they research this, but the point is the propaganda.

[Walt Starr]

14. Sitting on their hands because the guy is a manwhore is STUPIDITY in the

HIGHEST DEGREE!

The need to STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT!

Waiting only makes the impact lower and gives the BFEE breathing room.

[WLKjr]

15. I have to agree with you on that one Walt

it IS Rovian in how it is playing out. And your right, he has a lot of dems pegged out.

[janx]

21. I know we've been talking about this for what seems like months--

but it has really only been a matter of days. ;-)

[Walt Starr]

25. This is why the Democrats always lose

They do not pound the issues home immediately and constantly.

Remember back to how the republicans treated Clinton. Anything that came out was leaped upon immediately and pounded on incessantly.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. I agree

So he worked in the sex industry, it's true. He also worked as a reporter in the WH with insufficient experience to hold the position.

Why was he there?

How did he get in?

Why was he using a bogus name?

Why was Scottie calling him by that name if he was registered under his real name? Scottie claims he didn't know he used a fake name.

He wasn't qualified enough for Capitol Hill. Why was he allowed to cover the WH?

Did I miss anything?

[flyarm]

24. wait a minute..what if some of the journalists were

schtupping the man whore?? malloy brought that up last night!!..why would the media types have sat there for 2 years in silence about this guy?? unless some of them compromised themselves with either gannon or friends of gannon!!
did gannon have inside stuff on some of the journalists??
think about it..why did all the top media guys sit quietly about this guy for 2 years??

fly

[oldtime dfl_er]

19. yep

sometimes I feel like screaming the same thing! Forget about the damn sex angle, it's a red friggin herring. This whole thing has Rove's prints all over it.

www.cafepress.com/showtheworld

[bpilgrim]

30. SEX SELLS

all the need to know

peace

[Spazito]

7. I think going after the 'anomalies' surrounding 'Gannon'

and his access to the White House is the way to go, leaving the sexual elements aside, for now.

The question of credentialling and 'Gannon's' ability to get a 'soft pass' immediately after Talon News Agency was formed, his role in the Plame outing - what was his role? - what security check was done on him and under what names?

If the sexual elements have any connection in a relative way, it should come up through the investigation of the access/security/credentials concerns.

[Walt Starr]

8. Actually, he was credentialed BEFORE Talon News was formed

Read in another thread. Guckert was asking Ari questions a full month before Talon News existed.

[janx]

13. Were they propaganda questions like the ones he is

now famous for? Has anyone checked that out yet?

[Bethany Rockafella]

16. Yes, most of them were.

Keith Olbermann compiled a video of all the questions he asked during the press conferences. I'll see if I can find it. It was hilarious!

[janx]

23. I saw that (I think?), but I didn't see Ari in it--only Scott M. and

Chimpy. Was he asking such ridiculous questions when Ari was still around?

[PST]

9. there's a thousand ways to approach this story

just pick one for fux sake!!

[KoKo]

18. Joe Conason found a good approach...here's what he said:

Liberal’ Media Silent About Guckert Saga

by Joe Conason


How did this character obtain a coveted place in the White House? What did the White House press staff know about him? How does his story fit within the larger scandal of payola punditry, with federal funds subsidizing Republican propagandists in the press corps? Did someone in the Bush administration give him a classified document?

Such questions are evidently of little concern to our liberal media outlets, whose leading lights prefer to deliver prim lectures about the unwarranted invasion of Mr. Guckert’s private affairs and his victimization for his conservative views. In fact, everything known about him comes from material he posted on public Web sites, but that’s beside the point.

Imagine the media explosion if a male escort had been discovered operating as a correspondent in the Clinton White House. Imagine that he was paid by an outfit owned by Arkansas Democrats and had been trained in journalism by James Carville. Imagine that this gentleman had been cultivated and called upon by Mike McCurry or Joe Lockhart—or by President Clinton himself. Imagine that this "journalist" had smeared a Republican Presidential candidate and had previously claimed access to classified documents in a national-security scandal.

Then imagine the constant screaming on radio, on television, on Capitol Hill, in the Washington press corps—and listen to the placid mumbling of the "liberal" media now.
http://www.observer.com/pages/conason.asp

[Tummler]

10. Lieberman has been conspicuously silent on Manwhore-gate

Holy Joe turned his outspoken "moral clarity" on Monica Lewinsky into a spot on the ticket. Why the silence on manwhores in the White House, Joe? :eyes:

[WLKjr]

17. becuase in doing the right thing for the nation he does the right thing

for himself. Selfish bastard he is.

[donsu]

12. but they are not seperate issues, they are a part of a whole

you can't investigate one without the others, and have the investigation be fully meaningful.

people will want to drop the sex part because they may be too close to it. tough. too much is at stake.

[Us vs Them]

20. What do you say we help them out a little?

This is absurd.

If I were in office today I'd certainly have the balls to talk about it. It doesn't seem that difficult, and one needn't even take a strong position. Just reiterate the facts.

"Since this incident has been brought to light by the tenacious investigation of independent media sources on the web, details of the "Jeff Gannon" story continue to turn more sordid. A man who has been allegedly used to selling himself for table scraps has gained suspiciously unprecedented access to the President in a time when media already faces high scrutiny and is often incapable of defending its own credibility. I am appalled. This man with an assumed identity and no real journalism experience gained access to the White House and was called on to ask puffball questions at a time when the administration felt a bit too 'pressured' by the corporate media. If only real life were that easy."

[flyarm]

26. and what about the trillions ..

we the people are paying for security and this prostitute gets in close up the the president of the u.s.?? and gets classified info on one of our top cia nocs?? the most expensive secret agents we train in the cia?? and how many peoples lives have been put in jeopardy by this classified info going to a prostitute?? foreign agents...of valerie plame!~ how many have died by this info getting to a prostitute??
who daily let a prostitute into the press room in the west wing of the white house..and who will loose their job for that security breach??

fly

[Skidmore]

22. You know, if it the party aspect of this were reversed, the Rs

would have been all over that aspect in no time and would be ruthless in eviscerating all involved.

[flyarm]

27. yes and our dem leadership just sits by

and let the repugs tell us how safe we are and how spending trillions of our kids future down the drain is just aok!

when are the dems going to grow some??

the only dem i see with cajones is b.boxer!

they should all come out on the steps together and say ..damn it.,.we want an investigation by an independant counsil!

check this out!!

Two Fugitives From Russia at Bush Event: Two Russian businessmen wanted by Russia's government were among the thousands of guests attending a high-profile prayer breakfast with President Bush on Thursday.

ok first a gay prostitute gets first row in the white house press room..now russian fugitives get to pray with bush..whats going on ??


http://207.44.245.159/article8063.htm


fly

[Name removed]

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