New Yorker Seals the Coffin on Gookert-gate (KURTZ's pronunciation)

[UTUSN]

(I thought "GUCKERT" rhymed with F***ert, but KURTZ pronounced it "GOOKert".)

In the first item, the quoted material is the last two paragraphs. Everything before that is a rehash of the whole thing.

In the 2nd, there's a great series of one-line summaries of the malfeasances of the Shrub Mal-administration.

*******QUOTE*******

http://newyorker.com/talk/content/?050228ta_talk_hertzberg

.... One might imagine that all of this had the makings of an old-fashioned, months-long, television-friendly Washington scandal—not as important, obviously, as, say, the Iran-contra affair of the nineteen-eighties, but more so than, say, the flap about the dismissal of several employees of the White House travel office in 1993. One would probably be wrong. The non-Fox cable news outlets began to pick up on it last week; msnbc even assayed a special logo, “Gannongate.” A better name for it, though, would be “Nothinggate,” because nothing is what is likely to come of it. What all the memorable scandals of the past thirty years—real and fake alike, from Watergate to the Clinton impeachment—have had in common is that the opposition party controlled at least one house of Congress, which gave it the power to hold hearings and issue subpoenas. If Bush ends up having an easier time of it in his second term than any of his two-term predecessors since F.D.R., it won’t be because the scandals aren’t there. It’ll be because the tools to excavate them are under lock and key.

Last Thursday, Bush had another press conference, to announce the appointment of a director of national intelligence, and he made an elaborate show of familiarity with his interlocutors. A dozen of them got to ask questions, and the President called upon all but one by name. Perhaps he was simply letting the world know that from now on the reporters who are vouchsafed the privilege of asking questions at Presidential press conferences will actually be reporters. But be careful, White House correspondents. He knows who you are.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/leonard_pitts/10929316.htm

Three weeks later, I'm still waiting for a good explanation of what Jeff Gannon was doing in the White House. And for you to be upset about it. ....

So where is our outrage?

Frankly, the only thing more galling than the brazenness with which the White House abrogates the public's right to know is the sheep-like docility with which we accept it, with which we become complicitous in our own hoodwinking.

When the history of this era is written, people will wonder why we didn't challenge its excesses, why we didn't know the things we should have.

If you're still around, remember the uproar you do not hear right this moment and tell them the truth.

********UNQUOTE*******

[gratuitous]

1. Yeah, no way it can be a scandal, right Howie?

After all, it requires congressional hearings to make a scandal. I remember all the scandal that ensued after the sworn testimony of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Oops, turns out their allegations were purely media driven. Probably the exception that proves Kurtz' iron-clad rule.

And all the hoo-ha that followed after it became apparent that Condoleezza Rice lied to the 9/11 commission and Senate panel. Boy, what's she doing nowadays? Probably waiting tables in some greasy spoon anymore -- that's what you get for lying under oath before Congress.

Oh wait, that didn't happen either.

Is Kurtz retarded, or does he think we're retarded?

[Toots]

7. Sounds like you are making the case for him

Why wasn't Condi held accountable? D'Oh the Democrats have no power to investigatye and hold anyone accountable. I wouldn't exactly call the Swift boat Lies a Scanal exactly. Slander is a better word. The Scandal is that the Media allowed it to happen. In fact aided in it. Kurtz is exactly right. there will be no Scandals during the Bush* administration unless Congress undergoes a drastic change in 2006 and I don't see that happening. Diebold anyone.

[UTUSN]

8. Sorry for the Misunderstanding: This Article Is Not by KURTZ

It's from the New Yorker. I heard KURTZ on his lying circus on t.v. pronounce it GOOKert.

[blm]

10. Swift liars got 40mil. $$$ worth of airtime from the media the FIRST WEEK

they started airing their ads which cost them about 400 thousand.

Funny, the media chose to IGNORE Move-On's HONEST ads about Bush and NEVER used them as a basis for discussion. NEVER. And rw asshats scream "liberal media" at the top of their lying, fungus-encrusted lungs.

The GOP controls most of the media and most of the voting machines and yet, some people still want to blame the Democrats and their platform.

It's the MEDIA and BBV, stupid.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Not Quite...They Paid $400,000 or someone did

That's always been a blurred question. We tracked it down to several of O'Neill's law buddies and Texas Repugnicans...and oh, by the way, one happens to have connections to Bruce Eberle. And then there's brother Bobby passing out Purple Band-Aids at the RNC. Lots of interesting things, eh?

The article is spot on that Bunnypants has all the cards...no way he will be investigated, especially when the House is more wingnut than he is. That's why I have and always will call for Democrats to volunteer at their local Congressional offices and see how you can help elect a Democratic House in 2006...a first very big step in restoring sanity to this country.

[Walt Starr]

2. It's dead because the corporate media buried it

while pink tut Dems ignored it.

[Al-CIAda]

3. Good lord, can he be more obvious? lol -eom

[liberal N proud]

4. It basically gives the regime power to do what ever they want

"the tools to excavate them are under lock and key"
There are no checks, no balances because the media could keep this alive but is unwilling to participate in Democracy as they are supposed to.

bu$h will get what ever he wants at what ever cost necessary!

[Career Prole]

5. "but KURTZ pronounced it "GOOKert""

In the interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN that was cleared up...
"GOOKert" it is. The phony was saying he took on a pseudonym because his real name was hard to pronounce and spell.
Cooper laughed him off.

[UTUSN]

9. Here's the Transcript Link to Anderson COOPER Interview

*******QUOTE*******

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/18/acd.01.h...

COOPER: For the past two years, a man known as Jeff Gannon regularly showed up at the White House. He got a daily press pass and worked as a reporter. No one paid much attention to him, until a few weeks ago when he asked the president a question during a White House press conference. Since then, his past has been laid bare, he's resigned from his job, and more questions continue to be raised about how and why he got into the White House in the first place. ....

I started by asking him why he doesn't use his real name?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANNON: I use a pseudonym, because my real name is very difficult to pronounce, to remember and to spell. And many people who have been talking about me on television have yet to pronounce it correctly.

COOPER: But I mean, your real name is James and you used the pseudonym Jeff.

GANNON: Yes.

COOPER: How is James so much harder than Jeff?

GANNON: No, no, I meant my last name.

COOPER: Well, your real last name is Guckert, and the pseudonym you used is Gannon.

GANNON: Yes. It's easier to pronounce, to remember and to spell.

COOPER: But when you would go into the White House to get a pass for a briefing, you would use the name James Guckert.

GANNON: Yes, because that's the name on my driver's license. ....

********UNQUOTE*******

[Clark2008]

13. "Hello. I'm Keith OLBERMANN."

Yeah - Guckert is soooooo hard to pronounce. :eyes:

[Career Prole]

21. Ha! Great point! "This is Carol Ames, reporting live from Mogville."

[cthrumatrix]

6. this is PROOF the coroporate media doesn't give a shit about

the people and it's constitution.

It's all about power, greed and corruption .

[Dr Fate]

11. Who is stopping Hillary, Kerry, Dean & Obama from talking about it on TV?

???

[UTUSN]

12. Apparently It's Up to the Blogs

There's THIS positive note from Bethany Rockafella:

*******QUOTE*******

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3153623

Good news from John Aravosis

Any news is good news. It doesn't matter where they shift the story. Sure, I have my preferenes where it goes, but every time the words gay hooker and George Bush pop up in the same story, we win. I don't know where it goes from here, but I do know that some very large media folks are investigating larger aspects of this story, as are we. It's not even close to dead yet.
John Aravosis | Email | Homepage | 02.21.05 - 2:17 pm | #

********UNQUOTE*******

[Clark2008]

14. OK... everyone, start Googling "George W. Bush" and "gay hooker"

in the same Google search.

Keep it up. :)

[demgrrrll]

16. Someone mentioned that the Democrats controlled the house when

the Clinton investigations began. I don't know which investigation was the kick off entry but it seems to me that the poster is right about the House being controlled by the Democratic party. Conyers has been able to call meetings and get press about the issues that concern him.
How does he manage? There must be some way to investigate a story of corruption of this magnitude.

[Dr Fate]

17. Who is stopping Hillary, Kerry, Dean & Obama from talking about it on TV?

Controlling the legislature has nothing to do with going on TV and exposing media bias...

Just because we dont control the legislature does not mean we cant go on TV every night and say "What are the Republicans hiding and why are they refusing to investigate this?"

[demgrrrll]

18. I agree, however, Joe Biden used the Congressional control angle

when he was on Maher as an explanation about why nothing would get done regarding the issue. My point is that people like Biden will go on national teevee and say that their hands are tied when in fact they could take some kind of action. The subtext of those comments is why bother to rail on about something when you cannot move the issue forward.

[Dr Fate]

20. They can use it to make Republicans answer "What are you hiding?"

They can go on TV and TELL people that it will never be investigated and then ask the Republicans on the show "What are you hiding and if the answer is nothing, then why is there a refusal to investigate? Why the cover up?"

OF COURSE Congress & the media is not going to investigate itself- but that does not stop DEMS from going on TV and telling the truth about all this and letting more people know about it.

[blue northern]

15. I hear ya

Are they waiting to see which way the wind is blowing ???
I dunno Dr Fate.
Wish someone in front would start stating the obvious.