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Monday, February 14, 2005

Jeff Gannon, Rear Admiral™

Had enough of the Jeff Gannon saga? Of course you haven't. Neither has AmericaBlog. John Aravosis has done some extra digging on this story, uncovering the various sites on which the Rear Admiral™ proffered his "services", even getting copies of the invoices which recorded payment for the "Military Stud" sites, where Gannon/Guckert/Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute hawked his wares of the flesh.

While it appears that we're engaging in cheap gay-baiting, not so. As always, what consenting adults do is their business, no matter how oogy it may be. But there is a confluence of schadenfreude here, you might say. You have a gay prostitute with some tax problems using a stage name to work as a reporter from a GOP astroturf news site connected with a Texas GOP delegate getting press access to the White House. Press passes are supposed to be vetted for actual news agencies. Since Talon "News" has memory-holed the Rear Admiral's oiled and sweaty body of work, they are not a news agency. They have misrepresented themselves, which in this instance is a federal offense, no? Jim Guckert, meet the FBI. FBI, Jim. He likes to be called "Jeff".

And of course there's the increasing likelihood that Gannon/Guckert/Garvin got access to the internal classified memo naming Valerie Plame.


In related, even seamier news, Raw Story may have gotten the goods on some of the gang behind the scenes.

Sources have intimated possible relationships with members of the White House staff.

RAW STORY has been told that the White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan visited a gay bar in Austin, Texas, on March 19, 1995. The date was placed exactly as a local memorial service was held on the same day.

The source, who would only comment on condition of anonymity, reserved comment on whether McClellan was actually gay, but said he was frequently seen at gay clubs. Another source also confirmed this account.

“He was often seen in gay clubs in Austin, Texas and was comfortable being there,” the Texan said. “He’s been seen in places that normal people who are looking for heterosexual relationships are not seen alone.”

According to a White House transcript, McClellan is married, and Gannon sent the press secretary a wedding card. The White House, however, declined to comment.

“He was the mayor’s son in town, everybody knew who he was,” the source added, referring to McClellan’s mother Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

At press time, a message for Strayhorn, controller for the state of Texas has gone unanswered. Strayhorn is considered a hot future prospect for the Texas governor’s mansion.

....
The Republican National Committee also declined comment on whether Guckert had any relationship with Chairman Ken Mehlman, who was outed on Air America last year, and who has refused to answer questions about his sexuality.


So....let's recap. Talon "News" is owned by GOPUSA, and run by a Texas GOP delegate named Roger (I have also seen "Bobby" in some stories) Eberle, who may just turn out to be this administration's Bebe Rebozo. And it just happens that Scott McClellan's mother is an up-and-comer in Texas state politics. I love coincidences, don't you?

As for the cheap gay baiting, fuck it. This is a culture war, and it is time to remind the culture warriors, who have used gays as their whipping boys (sorry) for decades now, just who it is that's catering to their fetish. It is time to rub their noses in what they have wrought, and a cheap, callow hypocrite like the Rear Admiral™ is perfect fodder. We can worry about being "better" when we've won.

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