Guckertgate is a mess for Republicans
Wanted: pseudonym, penname, nom de plume, handle, or alias. I was thinking of Jeff Gannon, but it seems that one’s already been taken by James Guckert, a reporter who was — until his recent unmasking — covering the White House for Tanon News.
Tanon News? Haven’t heard of that outlet? Neither had dozens of other reporters and news agencies who are now asking: What’s Tanon News and who’s James Guckert?
The answers to those questions are sending shockwaves through newsrooms while politicians demand an investigation, and the White House struggles to provide satisfactory answers.
Guckert, it turns out, worked — he resigned just days ago — for a pseudo-legitimate online news source that is operated by a Texas Republican activist. Other than that, he has no journalistic background whatsoever.
Regardless of his questionable affiliation and credentials, the White House has been issuing Guckert daily passes to attend White House press conferences for months.
Other journalists began to wonder who the curious reporter was because of the oddly worded questions he asked in press conferences and the frequency with which White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan called on him.
While other reporters were asking hardball questions, Buckert’s questions were more like underhand softball pitches. Here’s a sample of a typical exchange:
McClellan: “Go ahead, Jeff.”
Gannon: “Thank you. First of all, I hope the grand jury didn’t force you to turn over the wedding card I sent to you and your wife. (Laughter.) Do you see any hypocrisy in the controversy about the President’s mention of 9/11 in his ads, when Democratic icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s campaign issued this button that says, ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’? I have a visual aid for folks watching at home.”
McClellan: “You’re pointing out some historical facts. Obviously, Pearl Harbor was a defining moment back in the period of World War II, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was strongly committed to winning World War II and talked about it frequently.”
It doesn’t take a member of MENSA to figure out that this exchange was a set-up. Eventually, after tiring of asking themselves, “who is this guy?” reporters decided to find out, and what they found out surprised everyone.
Not only is Guckert not a real journalist, and not only does he work for a pro-Bush website that fronts as an online news source, Guckert—mild-mannered journalist by day—is a male escort by night who uses sites like Malecorps.com, The Stud Files and Working Boys to market his services.
Using yet another alias, Bulldog—kinda catchy, isn’t it?—Guckert boasts in his ads that he’s an ex-marine who’s “muscular, masculine and discreet, available for hourly encounters, overnight, weekends or longer travel.”
Oh, did I mention he had access to confidential CIA documents?
And all conservative pundits can think of to ask—as they circle the wagons—is, “what does his personal life have to do with any of this?”
Hmm…let me ruminate on that one for a minute.
Well, for one, prostitution is illegal. Then there’s the question of how prostitution fits into the whole family-values face of Republican politics? Or is prostitution — straight or gay — a family value nowadays?
Maybe Republicans think a person’s private life is off limits when it’s another Republican’s private life. One thing’s for sure, if this were a Democratic administration and a Democratic Party shill, Republicans like Rick Santorum would be lining up every Evangelical with a microphone to condemn him as a wicked sodomite whose lifestyle is destroying the traditional family.
And while Republicans close ranks to protect the president from a scandal getting messier every day, Democrats are sitting back waiting to see just how messy it could get.
If what is being reported is true — and it’s looking like it is — Guckert-gate aka Gannon-gate aka Bulldog-gate, makes Lewinsky-gate look like just another episode of Desperate Housewives.
And if Democrats roll over and play dead on this one, they deserve to get their rear-ends spanked by Republicans in the next election. Maybe spanking is one of Bulldog’s specialties.
The question that has to be answered is what was this guy was doing in the White House pressroom some 200 times? Although Press Secretary McClellan is playing dumb—his survival instincts must be kicking in — bloggers are beginning to uncover a possible relationship between the two.
Facts being uncovered, in spite of McClellan’s statements to the contrary, suggest that the newly married McClellan has a good reason to deny that he knew Guckert personally.
Sources have come forward claiming that McClellan (a native of Austin and son of current Texas State Comptroller and former Austin mayor, Carol Keeton Strahorn) was a frequent visitor to gay bars in Austin years ago.
If the connection between McClellan and Guckert proves to be shadowy, you have to wonder why he would be so stupid.
In theory, I agree whole-heartedly that a person’s private life — with exceptions — is nobody’s business. This, however, qualifies as one of those exceptions.
If McClellan facilitated press credentials for a man he knew to have no journalistic background to act as a shill in press conferences, McClellan needs to admit his mistake and put the episode behind him. So far, he hasn’t done that.
If he knew about Guckert’s night job and ignored it, he needs to resign.
One thing’s for sure, by playing dumb and not answering reporters’ questions — which is his job—he’s making it look like he has something to hide.
So what about Jack Cannon? Has a ring to it, don’t you think?
