Toss in a few counts of plagiarism and he could be working for the Boston Globe.
I really don’t know what to make of this. What has me most puzzled is the fact that they were day passes. If Bush really wanted a stooge close by at all times, I think a regular pass would have been granted.
That would have allowed said stooge to go on trips with the President and feed him softball questions on the road as well.
Something to consider, should I ever require my own stooge. We should all learn from history, you know.
In any case, the whole Gannon thing stinks pretty badly, and I do hope the whole thing gets sorted out soon.
Pure speculation - perhaps the backround checks were less comprehensive for the day passes.
I agree with Bricker that this has so far not been tied to Bush; I’ll say “Wait and see” just as I did after the Dan Rather scandal first broke.
However, does anyone know whether GOPUSA is a fairly significant GOP group in Texas, and how well-connected its founder is? I get the impression that W knows a few Republicans back in Texas, and I get the further impression that W places at least a little value on party discipline. Is it very likely that Texas GOP operatives are taking actions like this without the administraiton’s knowledge?
I don’t know, but I’m sure you can guess what I guess.
Daniel
Sorted out soon implies owning up and fixing the problem, which will never happen. I think people need to “sort out” why they still support this guy.
This is just really damn entertaining. Seems like nobody can fuck up quite like a conservative blowhard hypocritical “journalist” can.
At least Rep. Slaughter (D-NY) seems to be on the case, and let’s hope she’s got some firepower up her sleeve. For if anyone deserves it, this President and this Administration deserve to drown in their own sleeze.
Of course the likely outcome is another poor lackey taking a fall for the President, but oh, well - I’ll take that over nothing.
Don’t know. I was checked out pretty intensively before being in the vicinity of the president on the two occasions I did so. And I had only a daily pass to those events.
I drove a car in George H.W. Bush’s motorcade way back in 1991, and I volunteered for an inaugural event recently. Both times required a background investigation by the Secret Service.
Another speculation: maybe the checks for day-passes are carried out by different staff from the checks for full press passes? If so, someone influential may have been able to get the guy in through the day-pass staff, where they didn’t think they could do the same with the full press-pass staff
This may be way off, but it does seem bizarre that anyone would get hundreds of day-passes to press briefings without just getting a full press pass, and there’s gotta be some explanation for it.
Daniel
From your own cite:
So that answers that question.
So it appears that for a Congressional press pass, there is a committee that is composed at least in part of members of the press. I assume the White House works differently.
We’ve already handled the fake name issue. He supplied the White House with his real name.
The only question left unresolved is the determination that his employer was, or was not, a legitimate news agency. We know that based on Congress’ standards, his employer does not qualify. What are the White House’s standards?
If he doesn’t qualify under White House standards, then I think we can assume that someone in the administration was involved. If he does, then there is no reason to assume any particular administration involvement.
Sure, Occam’s razor. The Bush morons thought that would be the best to insulate themselves from the situation should they get caught.
I heard on the radio that the regular passes are issued by Congress (or some body under its direct control), with CIA background checks, etc. The only thing the White House can give out is the day pass. (I can’t find a cite, but it was someone from Media Matters talking on the radio.)
Did I call it, or did I call it?
All hail the omniscient Elucidator.
Although, to be fair, it was really about as unpredictable as the sunrise.
luci, you predicted Brutus throwing a stoopid-bomb broadside into the thread. That’s like predicting that stones will fall to the ground when held at arm’s length and released. Sorry, no points.
We assured that the Lord forgives all sins. Nonetheless, I think you’re pressing your luck.
Paging Jonathan Chance. This thread requires first-hand knowledge of the credentialing process for the WH press corps. Please pick up the white courtesy phone in the lobby.
Or like predicting that Bricker will reflexively look for ways to absolve the Bush administration of any wrongdoing, and, when failing, look for ways to say that the Democrats are just as bad, or, when failing that too, claim simple lack of knowledge of the facts, which somehow all the rest of us have.
You suggested the WH might have “different standards” for what constitutes a news agency? What standards, please tell us, would include these bozos? Let us continue:
Is there more than one plausible explanation left here?
Oh, ye of little faith! I’m sure there are more things waiting to be pulled out of the Bush supporters’ arses than is dreamt of in your philosophy…
Any standards that permit bloggers to have press passes.
Bloggers are certainly not traditonal news agencies, but arguably have been as influential in the past year as major news agencies on several topics. A blogger first came out with the substantive criticisms of the Burkett memos, for example. I can easily see a justification for permitting a few widely-read bloggers press passes.
No it doesn’t. WH press are not allowed to use fake names or wear them on their nametags. His story that he supplied his real name has not been corroborated by the WH and it is not a policy that was permissable anyway. If he was permitted to wear a fake name on his nametag, then why was he given such unique and special treatment.
Why would you assume that? I can assure you that bloggers are not considered legitimate press by the WH (my mother was once a political reporter in Washington. I asked her) and if they could be routinely let in on day passes the WH would be deluged by them.
The WH has not corroborated this and it would be a breech of normal policy if true.
It was not.
If anything, the White House is tougher. After all, we are talking about enabling people to be in physical proximity to the President. If bloggers can’t get onto the Hill you can bet your ass they don’t get near the President.