That Whore From The Gaggle
I mostly agree with what Amanda has to say about “self-loathing gay men who join the Republican party”, but I still don’t buy this old canard :
Susie Bright addresses what I think a lot of people were thinking, or at least I know I was, but few would just come right out and say–it’s likely Jeff Gannon didn’t get into the White House despite being a prostitute, but because he’s a prostitute. I think she’s got his number pretty well. Gannon’s motivations are obvious enough if you open your eyes–getting up in age, he has to find a new career so he probably shook down a couple of the connections that high-paid hookers collect and got his brand new job.
I’d like to think my eyes are wide open, but I just don’t see it.
A variation of this attack was floating around when the JimJeff story was everywhere, except in its earlier incarnation there was some sort of blackmail involved. In either case, I have yet to see anything that lends validity to the conspiracy theory that this hack’s prostitute past wasn’t just a skeleton in his closet, but his ticket to the big time. Have Scott McClellan or Ken Mehlman been caught on a compromising position with Gannon? Does Guckert have a little black book that leaked? Or are people just jumping to the conclusion that the rare sight of three conservative homosexuals in relative proximity means they must have screwed each other at some point?
It’s easy to believe awful things about people you hate. So as much as I think this scenario might be plausible, I’d love to hear some backup before this ribald chatter gets repeated to the point that it get promoted from the the realm of speculation into fact. Besides, there’s plenty of room to get outraged here without having to resort to rumor-mongering.
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I’d like to think he nailed the big guy. You know, Karl Rove.
Comment by kamachanda — March 31, 2005 @ 7:01 pm
I’ve been as tough a critic of the Bush administration as anyone, but sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. I never thought I’d see the day, but this press release says it all:
“President Bush Signs Act of Contrition”
Comment by Jon — April 1, 2005 @ 9:39 am
I imagined it played out as follows:
During pillow talk, Gigi mentions to a GOP-connected client his interest in political matters and “reporting.” The client, not necessarily a WH or even national GOP figure, knows Bobby Eberle and what was then “GOPUSA News”, so as a favor he hooks Gigi up with Eberle (so to speak). The decision is made by Eberle and Gigi that he could cover WH press briefings, so someone at this point intercedes with the WH press office to help arrange for daily passes for Gigi. But that someone could have been a political contact of Eberle as much as a client of Gigi. Maybe it started innocently enough as just allowing Gigi a couple of visits on behalf “GOPUSA News”.
No extortion necessary at the beginning, just a favor that I’m sure someone now regrets. Where I start to smell a rat is with the apparent decision by Ari that Gigi wasn’t a legitimate journalist – that’s when “GOPUSA News” changes its name to “Talon News” – followed a week or so later with the resumption of allowing him to ask questions. It’s that timeframe when (a) somebody should have realized, but didn’t, the continuing issuance of daily passes to Gigi was wrong, or (b) someone did realize it, but pressure was brought to bear. Ari’s story on this issue sounds hollow, and the suggestion that Scott wasn’t aware of any of this either at the time equally doesn’t ring true. So I think that’s where the narrative is susceptible to theories that someone higher-up is involved.
Comment by E-mart — April 1, 2005 @ 9:50 am
To quote a post in the NY Times forum: “Bush says he’s sorry”
April Fool!
Comment by kamachanda — April 1, 2005 @ 12:16 pm
Now you’ve gone and spoiled all our rumor- mongering. The Replubican get to do it all the time.
We liberals never get to have any fun! I don’t want to be high minded any more. Ethics suck. Nobody ever won any election using ethics. Ethics is for sissies.
Oops, I think I went to far. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I like ethics, I really do. It’s all that keeps my Republican boss from firing my ass.
Comment by Stephen — April 1, 2005 @ 2:48 pm
It doesn’t actually have to be someone in the White House–there are so many people who could have arranged that, especially with promises of ass-kissing attached, that trying to narrow it down is pretty ridiculous.
Comment by Amanda — April 1, 2005 @ 5:18 pm