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Talon News’ Jeff Gannon (not his real name), who made a splash during last week’s presidential news conference by lobbing a softball at the president, abruptly resigned from his reporting duties overnight after allegations that he’s associated with websites supporting gay pornography and male prostitution.
That’s not enough for Laura Rozen, who asks, “But still, has anyone answered why the White House allowed him to use a pseudonym?”
John Aravosis on Americablog wants his audience to imagine “what would happen next” if the Clinton administration had allowed in a Gannon-esque reporter of their own.
John’s fantasy goes something like this:
— Congressional hearings in the House and Senate.
— Demands for a Justice Dept. investigation — how did this man get past security, who let him in, what were his ties to these male prostitute URLs, and who else on the White House staff may have been involved?
— Appointment of a special counsel.
— Demands for a slew of firings of White House staff.
— Never-ending questions about Hooker-gate directed to the White House staff and the president from the Washington media.
— All sorts of questions about what the president’s wife knew, and when she knew it.
— And non-stop 24-hour coverage on CNN and Fox.
John adds, “Keep that in mind in the next 24 hours when we see how the ‘liberal’ media handles this story, if at all.”
On to another scandal in the vicinity of the D.C. beltway: Conservative bloggers are upset with Baltimore Democratic Mayor Martin O’Malley for his comments equating President Bush’s budget proposals with the 9/11 attacks. “Is there no limit to the rhetoric the Democrats are willing to use to attack Bush?,” asks Ace of Trump.
Here’s what O’Malley said, as reported by the Washington Post:
Back on September 11, terrorists attacked our metropolitan cores, two of America’s great cities. They did that because they knew that was where they could do the most damage and weaken us the most,” O’Malley said. “Years later, we are given a budget proposal by our commander in chief, the president of the United States. And with a budget ax, he is attacking America’s cities. He is attacking our metropolitan core.
Brian Griffiths, who identifies himself as the Communications Director for the Young Republicans of Anne Arundel County, being cute with foreign affairs writing:
Brendan Miniter points out how our allies, the French and the Germans, appear to be singing a different tune about Iraq these days.
Oh, well.
At least they virulently opposed America’s Iraq policies before they grudgingly supported them.
Hmm, wait a minute; where, pray tell, did I hear something along those lines before?
Politicians one and all, be on notice: No flip-flopping. Ever. For any reason.
–Thomas Lang
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