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‘Gannon’ speaks

29 comments on ‘Gannon’ speaks

‘Gannon’ speaks

: Wolf Blitzer interviews fakey White House ‘correspondent’ ‘Jeff Gannon’ just now.

Howard Kurtz plays a tape of Gannon asking his softball — and innaccurate — question of Bush (and attack on Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton). Kos gets credit for finding Gannon’s real name and story. Rep. Slaughter is quoted asking whether the White House let him in as a tool of the administration and the White House denies. Kurtz says some say bloggers went too far digging into his background. Cut to Wolf.

Wolf asks him to explain the name thing. “It’s a professional name. I used it because Jeff Gannon is easier to pronounce.” Who does he think he is, Cher?

If you didn’t do anything wrong, why did you resign? He says people have harrassed and threatened him and his family. He says people have followed him to church (nice touch).

Wolf asks about the sexually explicit websites he was working on. “I don’t understand what that is,” says Wolf. Gannon says he did it for a client and the sites never went up.

Wolf asks whether he was there to ask softball questions or whether he was there “as a real journalist.” Gannon says Talon is a real news service. “I created the questions, nobody fed the questions to me.” It’s not as if anyone would have to write them for him.

Nothing about the other things Gannon did at the White House or his relationship with others, besides the owner of his ‘news service,’ Bobby Eberle.

Softball to the softball player, I’d say.

Now maybe they will do the softball interview with Eason Jordan.

29 responses to “‘Gannon’ speaks”

  1. Geek, Esq. Avatar
    Geek, Esq.

    I was waiting for Wolfie to ask him how he’s going to deal with people so divorced from reality.
    Though, maybe I was all wrong about this.
    If Wolfie can pass himself off as a journalist, I guess big G can as well.

  2. Steve Talbert Avatar
    Steve Talbert

    How come Wolf didn’t ask him why his website work was in direct conflict with his publically stated views on gay sex? And why would a conservative born again guy help someone register sites soliciting gay sex with military guys as prosititutes? It just doesn’t make any sense. It really is 1984. War is Peace, Propaganda is News, Be Afraid and we will protect you. This scares me more than the Final Days conflict in the Plains of Zion as foreign policy.

  3. Gunther Avatar
    Gunther

    I’ve always assumed that “Wolf Blitzer” was a fake name.

  4. Peter rogers Avatar
    Peter rogers

    And Helen Thomas is allowed to stay?

  5. Oliver Avatar
    Oliver

    FYI:
    Video: Gannon talks to Wolf Blitzer
    video: Brock talks about Gannon on Court TV

  6. carsonfire Avatar
    carsonfire

    I’ve been wondering that since I first heard this story… a right wing reporter asking friendly questions to a Republican administration is unethical and fakey, but a whole pool of liberal reporters during the Clinton administration scandals is not?
    Also, those exploiting the gay angle are showing nothing but their own hypocrisy and meanness. I’m sure to them, disapproval of homosexuality itself equates violent opposition; but the two are not an equation. For instance, I can disapprove of red t-shirts… I don’t like wearing them, and I’d prefer my kids (if I have any) don’t wear red t-shirts. But that doesn’t mean that I hate other people who choose to wear red t-shirts, and if I had a friend who was into red t-shirts, I wouldn’t necessarily say no to him if he asked for help setting up a red t-shirt website.
    This is, in fact, the case for myself. I don’t think homosexuality is a wise life choice (and I do consider it a choice), but I don’t condemn friends who choose that path. I’ve had very dear friends who are homosexual, and I’ve never held that against them, despite my feelings about homosexuality itself.
    I have no idea what Gannon was up to, of course, but I find the left once again solidifying their role as the “hypocrites who shout the word hypocrite loudest” party.

  7. gregburton Avatar
    gregburton

    What I really, really wonder is how people could be harrassing Guckert at church, and his mother and brother, when no one knew his name was Guckert until Monday….
    My current take is that Guckert is probably more of a hustler than a deliberate plant – Rove could do much, much better. Was he an opportunity to be used? yes. Is Bobby Eberle’s face pretty red right now? yes. Is the WH trying to figure out the way to spin this? yes.
    The continued attempts by the WH to spin this are just prolonging the story. Would (from the Rperspective) have been a lot better for Eberele to say “hey, we made a mistake with this guy”.

  8. John Avatar
    John

    Crooksandliars
    has the Blitzer interview with Gannon in video up and running now

  9. Steve Talbert Avatar
    Steve Talbert

    The story gets curiouser and curiouser
    http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/

  10. EverKarl Avatar
    EverKarl

    Jeff,
    It’s one thing for people to post links to their personal blogs in the comments, but what do you call it when people who ordinarily stop by to attack you personally start whoring links to their business?

  11. The Lonewacko Blog Avatar
    The Lonewacko Blog

    I found three articles at talonnews.com with gannon and “marriage amendment”:
    this
    this
    this
    Obviously, a possible gay man and possible gay journalist writing news stories about the marriage amendment for a conservative news site is a very bad thing, and it’s good that liberals have smacked him right down. Let this be a warning to other possible gay journalists who write news stories about these matters.

  12. gandhi Avatar
    gandhi

    Hmmn…
    Hand-picked aplogists for the Bush regime pretending to be what they are not, toeing the GOP party line for personal profit, presenting pro-Bush propaganda as “news”… not like anything you would support, is it Jeff?
    I mean, it’s not like Iraq The Model, is it? No no no no no….!

  13. Ray Midge Avatar
    Ray Midge

    Gannon? You mean they got Gannon?? The BASTARDS GOT GANNON????
    NO!!!!!!!!!!
    GANNONNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!
    By the blood of my conservative forefathers, I will avenge those leftist bastard who’ve took you down Jeff. My precious, sweet, innocent Jeff.
    Our conservative movement may perish this day, but your name will be our battlecry!
    GANNONNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

  14. Jon Avatar
    Jon

    Forget Gannon and Jordan. It looks like Condi has some ‘splainin’ to do. See:
    “Fried Rice: Condi’s Coming 9/11 Firestorm”

  15. James Murphy Avatar
    James Murphy

    Frankly, I have no idea whatsoever, of whatever you are talking about. You are raising an issue over “nothing”. Why don’t you confine yourself to things which are of importance rather than varigate to trivia?

  16. tony Avatar
    tony

    great post jeff
    and great links from everyone
    what a bizarre and fascinating story.

  17. carsonfire Avatar
    carsonfire

    re: “Fried Rice: Condi’s Coming 9/11 Firestorm”
    It’s like a looking-glass world. Even some of the doubtful left/moderates are admitting that she’s surprising everyone with her effectiveness right off the bat. Meanwhile, the fringe sees doom and disaster in her every word and movement, and dwells on her “lies” (i.e., debatable things that make their sourpusses sourer thinking about)
    How many more times is the fringe going to predict “blowback” for their hated right wing icons only to be pummelled about in the winds themselves? Looks like Dayton’s already history. And Reid’s conservative constituents are getting their first good look at Reid pandering to the fringe. whooooosh!
    I am *so* looking forward to the midterms.

  18. Ruth Avatar
    Ruth

    Jeff,
    Terrific news, in both Gannon and Eason Jordan cases, that the web will not let MSM ignore really embarrassing news items. We understand that there’s a balance news reporters must keep, to maintain ‘access’ to those WH sources, but isn’t it great to have the web force those reporters to confess to the news anyway!
    I recall Lyndon Johnson telling Rev. Martin Luther King to ‘force him’ into civil rights legislation.
    I am following with fascination events in Cambodia. Can you find any slightest mention in the MSM that the PM of Cambodia, who got into the position by a coup in ca 1997, has chased out his opponents, main among them being Tom Rainsy, put one under arrest? (Eliminated longstanding parliamentary immunity, so they were subject to prosecution for charges leveled years ago.) While we go on giving them massive foreign aid.
    Egypt under Mubarak, of course, has done almost identially the same thing, with more massive aid from the US. But at least the MSM is covering it.

  19. The Liberal Avenger Avatar
    The Liberal Avenger

    They should have Gannon interview Jordan.

  20. The Liberal Avenger Avatar
    The Liberal Avenger

    Ruth:
    Two places to follow the Cambodia story are Thailand’s two English language dailies – The Bangkok Post and The Nation:
    BangkokPost.com
    NationMultimedia.com

  21. Ruth Avatar
    Ruth

    The Liberal Avenger:
    I love your interview suggestion.
    Thanks for the news sources. (I generally Google Cambodia and sample the news items.) And incidentally, the Washington Post web site has an editorial on Egypt today.

  22. Carrick Talmadge Avatar
    Carrick Talmadge

    Jeff, you want to talk about softball, how about how the media treated Kerry during the last election cycle? Talk about media whores….
    I am less than impressed with the angle being played out with respect to the gay porn sites. As far as anybody can tell they were never activated, and Gannon may well be truthful in that he may have purchased these names for a client. If MediaMatters and Kos want to bring this up as a charge, they need better proof than gasp! some dude wearing shorts. I don’t want to be an apologist for Gannon, but let me address this: How come Wolf didn’t ask him why his website work was in direct conflict with his publically stated views on gay sex? And why would a conservative born again guy help.
    Why is it so hard to grasp that somebody might provide services to somebody else whose lifestyle they may disagree with??? I think that you are conflating your own bigotry regarding conservatives born-agains with another person’s actions. Since that person may really be a conservative born-again, he just might have a different idea as to what social responsibilities go with it than some liberal strawman version of what a conservative born-again is like.
    The good people at MediaMatters and DailyKos have not demonstrated any definitive proof that Gannon is gay or de facto a prostitute. If their claims of Gannon being a “gay whore” (their own choice of words) turn out to be false, then this appears to be a case of defamation which could be tested in court. I actually think that the take home message from this strange little drama for the mainstream public is going to be that the liberals have resorted to unsubstantiated defamation of character and to what will appear to the public as gay-bashing in the destroying of another person’s life.
    If I were a Republican, I’d be popping champaign corks for the liberals being so willing to splash egg on their face. In any case, for many, Gannon had been an embarrassment, and the liberals have spared them once again the necessity of eating one of their own (a similar pattern, as some have noted, to what happened to Newt and Trent.) It truly is the wolves which keep the flock strong.

  23. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    Wow, you righty apologists are as delusional as ever. You’re really telling me you can rationalize this away, as if it’s nothing?
    In a nutshell: a shady gay pimp, with no journalism credentials (his press-pass application was properly rejected at Capitol Hill), using a pseudonym and “working” for a pseudo “news service”, gets a daily White House press pass, gets to lob nicely scripted softballs at Bushy, AND gets access to CLASSIFIED documents pertaning to the probably illegal outing of a CIA agent.
    You see nothing wrong here? This is all just the work of some “liberal media” and “activist bloggers” to you? Of course, when the whole CBS memo thing happened, those winger bloggers were fighting the good fight, correct? Nothing like a little hypocricy from the right to make my morning.
    Look, this goes way behind party affiliation. This is just plain wrong. Of course, in this administration, no one will take or accept and responsibility, but that’s another matter. This nees to be fully investigated, and hammered home to the American people, just how corrupt this government is.
    Oh, and carsonfire, just be quiet. It’ll make you look smarter.

  24. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Angelos you’re such a hack.
    Gannon applied for and recieved his day press pass from the White House using his driver’s license with his real name. The criteria for getting a pass is different for the Capitol than it is for the White House. And shady gay pimp? Nice job, way to go for the moral high ground there.
    What I don’t understand is why the lefty blogs are in a frenzy over this guy. You’d think this guy Gannon was as well known as Rush Limbaugh. What kind of influence did he have? I mean was Talon News Service regularly quoted or cited in the major media news outlets? Not that I can recall, maybe I’m wrong, but I would think that if the White House was going to use a plant they could get someone with a little more pull and following.
    The liberal blogs are falling all over themselves claiming this guy is really gay, a male prostitute, and so is a hypocrite all based on inuendo. Nice work!

  25. Carrick Talmadge Avatar
    Carrick Talmadge

    Angelos says:

    Wow, you righty apologists are as delusional as ever. You’re really telling me you can rationalize this away, as if it’s nothing?

    In a nutshell: a shady gay pimp, with no journalism credentials (his press-pass application was properly rejected at Capitol Hill), using a pseudonym and “working” for a pseudo “news service”, gets a daily White House press pass, gets to lob nicely scripted softballs at Bushy, AND gets access to CLASSIFIED documents pertaning [sic] to the probably illegal outing of a CIA agent.

    Show me some real evidence beyond slurs and slander for any of your claims, and I’ll take you seriously. Kos himself even admits he was playing dirty in an interview he gave a few days ago.
    You have to remember that there are a lot of people in the middle who view anything either political extreme says with a heavy dose of skepticism. Until you can produce credible evidence to support your claims, I will simply repeat what I said earlier: Raising unsubstantiated or ever worse, baseless claims, is simply making the Republicans job of dismantling the Democratic Party easier.
    I’m neither a righty nor an apologist, just a realist. What really bothers me with your heavy-handed tactics is that it is ruining the Democratic Party, and like Jeff, I would like to see a healthy two-party system. Had you guys been half as smart as you think you are, you would have left Gannon in there to continue to embarrass the Republican Party. Truthfully, I think you’ve just “Rove’d” yourselves again.

  26. Ray Midge Avatar
    Ray Midge

    Mike:
    You just don’t get it man. They got Gannon…GANNON! Game over man.

  27. Vin Avatar
    Vin

    too funny…..
    Kos and company think their little outing of GANNON will Nixon the White House. You couldn’t ask for a better “opposition party”.

  28. Don Avatar
    Don

    Wolf asks whether he was there to ask softball questions or whether he was there “as a real journalist.”
    Like you and your fellow CNN ‘journalists’ asked ‘hardball’ questions of Saddam and his minions, eh, Wolf? Wolfie and his colleagues have loosened the definition of a ‘real’ journalist so much that anyone can qualify these days. Including a guy named Guckert aka Gannon….

  29. carsonfire Avatar
    carsonfire

    Angelos, how does Gannon equate with the RatherGate memos? I’m still not entirely sure what Gannon did wrong, apart from being a nobody lightweight with some mildly amusing skeletons in his closet… contrast with Rather, a powerful anchorman for a major network trying to push obvious forgeries on the public shortly before an election.
    The Gannon story for most of us is a story not because of Gannon but because of the absurd and unprincipled depths that guys like Kos and Atrios sink to in order to attack political opponents (and rather minor and inconsequential opponents, at that!). Again, by contrast, nobody questioned Rather’s sexuality or private behavior (apart from some who drew intrigueing but ultimately unimportant comparisons between the AWOL charges and Rather’s own Marine experience), but instead investigated his memos in great detail. Same thing with Eason Jordan, to some extent: he did himself in with his own words, his accusations and his back-pedaling.
    Carrick Talmadge is right; many on the right *would* be popping champagne corks, if the behavior of the fringe left weren’t so sad to watch.