Scaredy-cat Georgie

Among the many disturbing things associated with the Bush administration, chief in my mind lately has been the attempted hijacking of media organizations to deliver their message and, in the latest, instance, lob softball questions to Bush and White House staff to make them look better.
I realize what an undertaking that must be, indeed, but what the f@#@?
To date, they've paid a broadcast journalist to tout the No Child Left Behind initiative, which clearly did need some help, since even if it were a good idea, it's been so grossly underfunded, that most schools can barely implement it.
I'm not sure which is more alarming, the fact that the administration would pay him, or the fact that a supposed objective journalist would accept the money.
Secondly, the Health and Human Services Department paid not just one, but two journalists to promote Bush's support of marriage..because, you know, marriage is in real trouble, and there was a real sense of urgency to let people know, "Hey, marriage is still here. It's not just for those gays."
But, the latest and most damning instance of shadiness between journalists and the administration is Jeff Gannon, a.k.a. James Guckert. He is a right-wing reporter, formerly of Talon News, who gained incredible access into the White House press corps while using an alias and apparently working as a gay male escort online.
Now, I could give two shits about his being a male escort, although I think it might give new meaning to the unparalleled morality that permeates Bush rhetoric these days.
No, the problem here is much worse. When Guckert was busy bragging about asking Ari Fleischer a question in February 2003, Talon News didn't exist. And Talon is a whole other story. The staff is largely a volunteer staff with no actual journalistic experience, but they do have quite a bit of GOP campaign experience collectively. Funny, that.
So, Guckert, who was not with a legitimate and independent news organization, which are the unofficial criteria for gaining White House access, was allowed to enter daily press briefings using a day pass, that only requires a minimum background check, as a personal ticket to sit among real journalists who have every right to be in that room.
Not only that, there are reporters who have been there for five years who have never asked a president a question, and yet, Guckert lobbed the most inane question to Bush on Jan. 26, and thank God he did and reveal his hand in the process.
When a group of pissed off liberal reporters have your number and you have anything to hide, hang it up. They exposed him for the fraud that he was and unearthed the real problem; how did he get access?
That may or may not become clear in the coming weeks, as Democrats launch their investigation with the Department of Homeland Security to get someone to answer for this, but at least it's been exposed.
And all of this begs the question, why is this administration so afraid of the real press if they have nothing to hide?
How pathetic is it to have to pay journalists and circumvent the security process behind allowing reporters into the White House, just to have President Bush look good?
I think, where this administration is concerned, the notion of the liberal media is out the window. When you have the government regulating what goes on the air and in print, the liberal media seems to be merely the one that's not being paid by Karl Rove.