RAGGED THOTS

JOURNO SOCKS IT TO GOP GAYS
By RICHARD JOHNSON with PAULA FROELICH and CHRIS WILSON

July 15, 2006 -- FORMER White House reporter and alleged male escort Jeff Gannon came to town on Thursday to address the Log Cabin Republican club's monthly meeting - and he took no prisoners, The Post's Robert George reports.

Openly gay Gannon, a k a James Guckert, quit his job with the now-defunct conservative Talon News Web site last year after his fake name, slender journalism background and escort connections came to light.

At the gathering of gay Republicans this week, Gannon, who still lives in Washington and is working on a book, let rip at hypocrisy, sexual and otherwise, in the political ranks. He included jabs at:

* Mary Cheney: "I haven't read Mary's book, but I imagine it goes something like this: 'My dad's the vice president; I'm a lesbian - and we don't talk about it.' "
* Ex-New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey: "He said, 'My truth is that I'm a gay American.' No, your truth is that you're not courageous; you're corrupt - and a coward."
* Democrats who use the Bible selectively: "Ted Kennedy says, 'Jesus would have wanted us to raise the minimum wage.' No, Teddy, Jesus would have wanted you to help Mary Jo out of the car that night."

But Gannon reserved his harshest ire for members of the gay liberal media. He called gay liberal activists like author and radio host Michelangelo Signorile and Americablog owner John Aravosis members of the "gay mafia" for outing Republican members of Congress and their staffers.

He added: "There are Democratic members of Congress who play with their boys in D.C. - then go home to pose for pictures with their wives. I know who they are, but they are safe from the gay mafia because they vote the right way."

Gannon denied that they had "outed" him when Aravosis' Web site revealed his alleged male escort past because, "I was no more in the closet than Valerie Plame was a covert CIA agent."
When a non-Log Cabin attendee at the meeting demanded to hear about Gannon's odyssey "from being a prostitute to being a journalist," Gannon refused to answer. He insisted the escort charge was never proven and refused to declare what the truth was, calling it "irrelevant" to his role as a journalist.

He added, "This line of questioning would never be asked of a liberal."

GOP (gay) orientation session
What, you're not a gay Republican?
Good for you.

But former White House correspondent Jeff Gannon had some interesting insights about politics and sexuality when he addressed the Log Cabin Republicans last week.
Some sample wisdom on Madonna: 'The slut, not the blessed mother of Christ.' On former Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey: 'By day he's doing photo-ops with his wife and kids, and by night he's on his knees at a truck stop in New Jersey.'

On the fact that a certain homophobic Pennsylvania senator has a gay press secretary: 'I think it's a tribute to Rick Santorum. I think it says a lot about the man.'
On G.O.P.-turned-Democrat provocateur David Brock: 'At 35, he decided that he loved shoving dollar bills down the pants of the twinks down at [D.C. gay strip club] Wet.'
Finally, on allegations of his own hooker past: 'Responsible people see it my way, that it doesn't matter.'

It's Jeff Gannon's moral universe, folks. We're just living in it."

# posted by Robert A. George @ 1:30 PM

"If you're gonna be here, you need to stay down," the buzzing scrum of photographers was warned as it crowded around the dais, snapping shots of Valerie approaching her seat, Valerie sitting down, Valerie looking at her husband, Valerie looking at her lawyer, Valerie looking down to her lap -- Valerie looking.

After the conference, the couple disappeared into a nearby room with their entourage. ("Down! Stay down!" the TV camerapeople in the back of the room shouted at the photographers in the front, who had sprung up to capture Valerie standing, Valerie walking, Valerie leaving.) The camerafolk and reporters -- acting on an instinct, perhaps, which has laid dormant since the Clinton years -- moved to surround the room's exit. They had been told, numerous times, that neither Valerie nor her husband would answer any questions. But the group didn't care. We need more Valerie.

# posted by Robert A. George @ 3:30 PM

[O]ver the July 4th weekend, the Hartford Courant published an op-ed from a young operative and blogger named David Sirota, who told Connecticut Democrats like me that Lieberman didn't represent us. In fact, Sirota went a step further, and ludicrously argued that Lieberman was not just outside the mainstream of the Democratic Party, but of the American people.

Now what standing and credibility does Sirota have to make either claim? Well, he spent most of his limited adult life working in Washington -- including a stint with the lone socialist in Congress -- before moving to Montana. To my knowledge, the closest he's come to spending any meaningful time in Connecticut is interviewing for a job in Joe Lieberman's Senate office (with yours truly) and in his Presidential campaign in 2003.

Yes, that's right: the same guy who is viciously attacking Joe Lieberman as the great Satan of the Democratic Party actually sought not one but two jobs from the target of his hatred, and did so at time when all of the supposed sins that Sirota is attacking Lieberman for now were well known. The polite term for that would be chutzpah. Some one less charitable might call Sirota a fraud. But in fairness to Sirota, he isn't just attacking Lieberman.

He has accused Bill Clinton and Barack Obama of being bad Democrats as well. That alone should resolve any question about Sirota's qualifications for discerning what a mainstream Democrat is, be it in Connecticut or anywhere else.

How about partially privatizing Social Security? Lieberman was one of the earliest and most outspoken senators giving credence to the concept. In 2000, The New York Times reported that Lieberman suggested he could support allowing workers to invest a portion of their payroll taxes in private markets.

But, if that position was known going back six years, why didn't Sirota have a problem applying for a job with the "Joe-mentum" presidential effort in 2004?

Connecticut Democrats can sort this whole thing out themselves, but if Sirota is indicative of the anti-Lieberman folks, they have some issues of their own to cop to.

# posted by Robert A. George @ 9:26 AM

As L'Equipe summed up the moment of madness with a headline of "Regrets Eternels", a day of endless questioning began. With many conflicting versions of events circling on the internet and in the world's media, The Times enlisted the help of an expert lip reader, Jessica Rees, to determine the precise nature of the dialogue that caused Zidane to react in such a manner.

After an exhaustive study of the match video, and with the help of an Italian translator, Rees claimed that Materazzi called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore" before adding "so just f*** off" for good measure, supporting the natural assumption that the Frenchman must have been grievously insulted.

# posted by Robert A. George @ 9:00 AM

If Mike Bloomberg runs for president as an independent, he can win. Yes, not just hurt Hillary Clinton or the Republicans, but actually win the White House.

Obviously, he has his bank account in his favor. Like Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996, he wouldn't have to convince skeptical donors that a third-party candidate could succeed for the first time in American history. He can cut short the conversation by just writing a mega check.

But he can succeed where Perot failed, because he knows how to handle himself in the public spotlight.

Also unlike Perot (whose impact was to make it impossible for the first President Bush to be re-elected), Bloomberg would draw equally from each of the two main parties

The mayor's strong anti-terror credentials and practical experience at keeping New York City safe from attack would be vastly reassuring to "security mom" voters. He has kept New York safe and even improved on Guiliani's extraordinarily low crime statistics. He has shown himself able to resist pressures for spending and taxes while keeping his budget balanced - and he's a strong advocate of charter schools and educational standards. All good Republican positions.

Democrats, meanwhile, would find his pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay rights, pro-affirmative action positions very attractive. His pro-city focus could attract large Democratic support, and he'd probably bring into his column the bluest of blue states - New York.

# posted by Robert A. George @ 9:52 AM

House intelligence committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) would not describe the program, but he said it was significant enough that the administration should have briefed him and others voluntarily, without waiting for them to learn of it through government tipsters.

"There was at least one major -- what I consider significant -- activity that we had not been briefed on that we have now been briefed on," Hoekstra said on "Fox News Sunday." "Some people within the intelligence community brought to my attention some programs that they believed we had not been briefed on. They were right."

Hoekstra said the briefings took place after he complained in a May 18 letter to President Bush of hearing about "alleged Intelligence Community activities" not described to committee members in classified briefings. "If these allegations are true," he wrote to Bush, "they may represent a breach of responsibility by the Administration, a violation of law and . . . a direct affront to me and the Members of this committee."

# posted by Robert A. George @ 6:00 AM

In Fayetteville, N.C., home to the Army’s Fort Bragg and also to Dragon’s Lair, a 25-year-old comic book shop, owner Bernie Mangiboyat said he quickly sold his 200 copies of the first issue, and people are still asking for it.

He said about 75 percent to 80 percent of his customers are service members, and so far, most are lining up with Captain America.

“The big thing is Captain America,” he said. “He stands up for the ones who don’t want to give up their names [to the government]. ... Ninety percent of the customers coming in say they look at it in the Captain America way.

“They’re kind of against Iron Man because they feel that he’s like the corporation going in with the government. He’s kind of falling in line.”

Robert, glad you found that article to be interesting. You raise an intriguing point as well. What if Captain America and Iron Man were instead representing the opposing viewpoint - i.e., what if Cap was pro-registration and Iron Man was anti?

For those not familiar with comics, Captain America is considered to be the pinnacle of integrity and nobility. He's the hero most heroes in the Marvel Universe look up to.When Cap stands for something, it gives that cause credibility.

While Iron Man is also highly respected, I don't think he enjoys the same trustworthiness level as Cap does. Iron Man, in his true identity as billionaire Tony Stark, has been known to be manipulative to get his way. His well-known bouts with alcoholism might cause some to view him with suspicion as well.

I'd like to think that if Cap were taking the pro-registration side, I'd still be against it. But it would sure give that side a level of credibility they've yet to reach with Iron Man leading their cause.

# posted by Robert A. George @ 5:49 AM