So we get another slam dunk issue turned against us (Gannon)...

[vi5]

Now o.k. this is far from over so this is speculation on my part not a throwing up of the hands and "giving up". But what I'm seeing/predicting is the absolute worst for the white house that can come of the Gannon fiasco is this:

It's proven that someone in the white house had involvement with this guy and got him the pass, introduced him to the prez enough so that he recognized him in press conferences, etc.

That person resigns and bush and the right say "Well, you see it was one bad apple, but bush is a forgiving man so he harbors no ill will. But you see, this is what happens with...well you know......."

So again another issue that should have been a slam dunk for us will be turned around and bite us in the behind. I hope this isn't the case, I really do. And I'll admit it's not over yet. But haven't we learned by now that the right will forgive anything and everything about this guy? And you're not telling me that the leaking of these tapes with bush saying all sorts of wonderfully tolerant things and looking out for the kids of america aren't totally planned.

Sorry, I'm one of the cynical ones.

[RedstDem]

1. Can't blame you for feeling that way

It's how everything been's going up till now....

[hector459]

17. Stop mixing the Kool-Aid. This is far from over. And it won't be turned

against us, but it will be against them!

[WilliamPitt]

2. Cynics? Bah!

We stopped the war, stopped the Patriot Act, and won the election! Things are looking up! Yes, nurse? It's time for my medication again? OK, I have to go now...

[NoPasaran]

3. Put down the ether, Will

I'm cutting you off

[trumad]

5. Snarf

[AndyTiedye]

11. Can I Get Directions To Your Alternative Universe?

[neweurope]

4. Well yes... but what do you suggest? Give up? Agree and go along

like these "Democrat" senators who vote for torturers? I Say keep digging, tinfoil hat firmly in place. Try not to hear laughter and derision and keep digging. Thats the only hope, isn't it? Nobody will do the work for you. A miracle won't happen. Even if the mass murderer had a heart attack to-morrow which of course nobody hopes what would be gained? They'd change the face up front would be all...

And of course the tapes were planned. But you HAVE to keep rising a stink. Foreign media won't help you as long as they see the so-called opposition marching gleefully along with the Bushistas.

-----------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[vi5]

15. No, I suggest that we keepin hammering the story...

I've fought for plenty of uphill battles and causes until the bitter end. I don't give up nor do I want anyone to give up. I just also have a sense of the realistic outcomes that are likely to happen.

[neweurope]

22. Sorry I misunderstood. *sigh* It does look bleak.

--------------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Al-CIAda]

6. Ah yes, the daily 'this story is dead' thread. 8 days and running now.

[vi5]

14. If you read my post I didn't say it was dead...

In fact I explicitly state that. My post was about how I unfortunately see it progressing, based on history and knowing how these things work.

I will be more than happy when and if I am proven wrong.

[Nay]

7. Yep, vi5, that's exactly how it is all going to unfold, until the

masses of Bush adorers get it in the neck in a way that upsets their personal lifestyles. And even then, lots will still cleave to the people who are screwing them up the ass. There is no explaining it -- one can only realize that it is happening and wait for insanity to run its course. It may take a whole generation, frankly. There are still Germans who worship Hitler, and look how Reagan was nearly canonized at his week-long funeral. He was a useless POS, too, and the people just LOVED him.

Our only real hope, in my estimation, is Howard Dean's ability to cut through bullshit with his upfront speeches. This may not be enough, since plenty of people will turn the channel, but it's a start.

[Jackpine Radical]

16. Turn the channel, shit.

They'd have to give Dean some air time beofre that could happen, and they won't. Every time Dean gives a speech, every MSM outlet will cover the first sentence & then switch to a re-broadcast of The Scream. This isn't a diatribe against Dean, it's about the media, because they would find or spin some unflattering moment to replay for ANY Dem spokesman.

[Virginian]

8. What about this point... Totally inconsistent.

The reason we struck the first assault on Baghdad was because we had intel on where Saddam was and needed to act quickly. Does anyone remember this?
Gannon knew FOUR HOURS before the first assault that it was going to happen.
If both of these are true, why did we wait until Saddam had time to leave?

[UL_Approved]

10. VERY good point

This is another angle of Gannon that is incredibly important. Do you have any other observations or criticisms like this. How does this compare to other "intelligence findings"? We need to make a list about national security with this stuff.

[Virginian]

13. Another "What if" on previous point.

What if they knew where he was GOING TO BE in 4 hours and decided to attack based on Saddam's plans...
Telling people without security clearances about secret military strategy is considered illegal and the name for it is treason.

"I told two friends and they told two friends..." If the information was true that Saddam was planning to be somewhere (during US TV prime time) He could have been tipped off. After all, if this one unsecured confidant had time to tell his editor, who else did he tell? What other unsecured confidants (moles) are there in the White House?

My memory isn't what it used to be. The announcement of the initial attack was during Prime Time viewing hours wasn't it, just like Gulf War I?

[UL_Approved]

18. I think that it was

I'm not entirely sure, but I know that the pictures showed up in the evening. The Shock and Awe show was televised live. This gets at another aspect. Why were camera crews in position so very quickly. I seem to recall a very short time window between when the operation was announced, and when the video started pouring in. Some prior planning was in the works. But how much, can we say?

[tom_paine]

9. In Totalitarian Nations like Amerika, "no-win" situations are curiously

commonplace.

Naturally, these no-win situations seem to recur regularly to Enemies of the State, those who oppose Imperial Policies.

And they just keep happeneing again and again and again...though just a coincidence, I'm sure.

Your feelings are perfectly understandable, as is the recurring "no-win situation" theme for Enemeies of the State in Imperial Amerika.

One other thing: Don't look to the rank and file Nazis nor the good Germans to be outraged about the actions of their Noble and Godly Fuhrer.

Then or NOW.

[No Exit]

12. Well, there may be another small benefit to us

If people like Bill Maher can keep playing it up, it will become a national joke, as were the back-hall blowjobs of Clinton.

Just need to keep talking it up. Take heart--the New Yorker is on it, at least. Has Leno touched (sorry) on it?

We need to keep the irreverent cracks (sorry) coming. Joke e-mails need to be created and disseminated. Who in America is not met with an e-mail box full of such jokes, every Monday morning when he/she returns to work? Then they all go out and repeat what was in the joke e-mails, boring the shit out of their friends (because their friends already read the same e-mails), BUT embedding the jokes into everyone's brain.

[Clark2008]

19. It's not dead - you just have to know who to watch and who to support

because their coverage is good:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6844293/#050217a

Separating the Gannons from the Guckerts (Keith Olbermann)

NEW YORK - So, the artist formerly known as Jeff Gannon is considering suing everybody.

Well, this will separate the Gannons from the Guckerts.

Gannon told Newsweek that he is contemplating “suing liberal interest groups, bloggers, and others,” for what he termed “political assassination.” Don’t see that in the statutes anywhere.

He is presumably pondering some sort of libel action, or perhaps he harbors some vague hope of proving invasion of privacy. This would, of course, require that what’s been said about him isn’t true (though he hasn’t denied it), and was maliciously published or broadcast by people who knew it wasn’t true or made no effort to confirm or refute it. Of course, he had told Editor & Publisher last week that he would no longer talk to the media, then followed that up five days later by a complaint to the same magazine that nobody was trying to contact him (and in the same interview denied he was giving an interview with CNN, an interview which he taped about an hour later).

There certainly do seem to be enough personality elements floating around in there to constitute two separate fellows. Neither of them seems to know a lot about the media, or about communications law.

[KharmaTrain]

20. Lots Of Glory Grabbers

Some "bloggers" looked to make themself a part of the story as much as what "Gannon" and his part of a large-scale right wing media operation...what Hillary called the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy". We have/had a golden chance to look into that world...and the greatest thing that could do that is if "Gannon" dared to sue any smart online blogger with good legal counsel.

The sensational...which we can't ignore and this does get the corporate media's attention...soon became the cause celebe for some...as though the substance of "Gannon's" infestation into the corporate media wasn't "sexy" or important. The only ones who appeared to get this were primarily print-oriented journalists like Joe Connason and Frank Rich...and my hopes are they stay on this side of the story and aren't getting frustrated like many of us are.

Count me a cynic since I see a lot of good digging that went on here go either un-noticed or duplicated or burried in the "flavor of the moment"...or that this piece of the puzzle didn't fit in with someone elses idea/agenda. A lot of people talk here, few really listen. Without a more disciplined approach to this story/issue it'll continue to fracture into small stories instead of the one huge one we were hoping for.

[tx_dem41]

21. The story needs to be FOCUSED. Its all over the place right

now. I think the Thune/Daschle/SD angle is a possibly a good place to focus.