Why Are We Back In Iraq?

A few days ago I blogged about Jeff Gannon, the White House correspondent for the two-year-old Talon News.com which is affiliated with the extremely conservative GOPUSA.com: Jeff Gannon Is No Jeff Gannon. At the Daily Kos blog, a number of diarists, such as Susan G., Spiderleaf, and Baltimoretim, have done some fine work while attempting to unravel the mystery that has been dubbed "PropaGannon."

On January 31st, David Brock of Media Matters wrote a letter to Scott McClellan, the White House Press Secretary, asking him to revoke Mr. Gannon's press credentials because "Mr. Gannon and Talon News appear to be political activists rather than actual journalists, and as such should not be presented to the public as an independent news agency." Mr. Brock also brought up the fact that a few of Mr. Gannon's "articles are frequently little more than reprints of White House press releases and fact sheets...I understand that your office issues press releases with the hope that reporters quote them. But surely you understand that when Mr. Gannon's "articles" lift heavily from President Bush's statements without directly disclosing that the words are the president's, not Mr. Gannon's, he is working not as a journalist but as an agent of the White House."

Bobby Eberle - an engineer and Republican activist/delegate from Houston, Texas - is the head honcho for this "news company" as well as the GOPUSA "empire." Message to Bobby: You might want to change that last sentence on the About page to Talon News filches stories from other media outlets. Mr. Gannon is not the only plagiarist on the staff of the Talon News. And it's not just the White House who's words are being lifted. Talon News also cribs from The New York Times and Fox News.

Roeder - A joint session of Congress resumed proceedings Thursday evening and quickly ratified President George W. Bush's November election victory.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - A joint session of Congress resumed meeting Thursday evening and quickly finalized certification of President Bush's 286 Electoral College votes to Democrat John Kerry's 251.
Roeder - Certification was halted for the majority of the afternoon when Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) stopped the formal declaration process.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - The certification was delayed for several hours after Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, stopped the formal declaration of Bush's second term to protest voting irregularities.
Roeder - Boxer said on the Senate floor that she and Jones wanted to "shed some light" on issues of reported voting irregularities in Ohio and nationwide election reform.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Boxer said on the floor of the Senate that she joined with Jones to "shed some light" about the issues of reported voting irregularities in Ohio as well as election reform throughout the nation.
Roeder - Lawmakers were forced to retreat to their separate chambers for two hours of debate and a vote on the challenge.
Stolberg & Dao - Instead of holding a courteous joint session to certify the election, lawmakers were forced to retreat to their separate chambers for two hours of debate and a vote on the challenge.
Roeder - Earlier in the day, Boxer and Jones acknowledged at a news conference that they did not expect to overturn the results.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Earlier on Thursday, Boxer and Jones held a news conference and acknowledged they are not expecting to overturn the November election results.
Roeder - It was only the second such challenge since Rutherford B. Hayes won in 1876.
Stolberg & Dao - It was only the second such challenge to a presidential race since 1877.
Roeder - In 2001, more than two-dozen Democrats objected to the certification of Florida's disputed election won by President Bush. However, since no senator also objected then, as is required to cause a recess of the joint session of Congress, the objection was ignored.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - In 2001, more than two-dozen Democrats objected to the certification of Florida's disputed election, but because no senator objected, as is required to trigger a recess of the joint session, the objection was ignored.
Roeder - Boxer said she regrets that she didn't object to the certification four years ago.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Boxer also said she regrets that she didn't object to the certification four years ago when the controversial election put Bush over Al Gore.
Roeder - Debate in the House on Thursday was lively. In contrast, the Senate debate included only the two Republicans from Ohio: Sen. Mike DeWine and Sen. George V. Voinovich. The Democrats filled the remaining time with reasons why the voting system needs improvement.
Stolberg & Dao - Although debate in the House was vigorous, in the Senate only two Republicans – Mike DeWine and George V. Voinovich of Ohio – joined in, leaving Democrats to fill the time with relatively subdued speeches about why the voting system needs to be improved.
Roeder - Most Democrats concluded Bush was the rightful winner and said the move cast a needed spotlight on voting rights. Republicans called it a waste of time.
Stolberg & Dao - Democrats, nearly all of whom conceded that Mr. Bush was the rightful winner, said the move cast a needed spotlight on voting rights. Republicans called it a waste of time.
Roeder - "This is a travesty," said Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), who forced a formal roll call vote in the Senate to spotlight lawmakers' positions. "[Democrats] are still not over the 2000 election, let alone the 2004 election."
Stolberg & Dao - “This is a travesty,” said Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a member of the Republican leadership, who forced a formal roll call vote in the Senate to spotlight lawmakers’ positions. Of Democrats, he said, “They’re still not over the 2000 election, let alone the 2004 election.”
Roeder - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) characterized the Democrats' move as a "quadrennial crying wolf."
Stolberg & Dao - Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, drew applause on the House floor when he denounced the Democrats’ move as a “quadrennial crying wolf.
Roeder - The challenge divided Democrats. Party leaders and many rank-and-file distanced themselves. Black and liberal lawmakers embraced it.
Stolberg & Dao - –The challenge cast a spotlight on divisions among Democrats, with party leaders and many in the rank and file distancing themselves from the effort, while black and liberal lawmakers embraced it.
Roeder - Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who lost the election to Bush, said in a letter sent to supporters Wednesday he would not take part in a formal protest of the Ohio Electors because, despite widespread reports of voting irregularities, his legal team had "found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election." Kerry said he planned to introduce election-reform legislation and request congressional hearings on the voting irregularities.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Kerry, who lost the election to Bush and is currently overseas, said in a letter sent to supporters Wednesday he would not take part in a formal protest of the Ohio Electors because, despite widespread reports of voting irregularities, his legal team had "found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election." Kerry said he planned to introduce election-reform legislation and push for congressional hearings on the voting irregularities.
Roeder - Democratic officials in Ohio said that, while they desire improved election practices, they worry that the party was wasting time and money.
Stolberg & Dao - But even Democratic officials in Ohio said that while they wanted improved election practices, they worried that the party was wasting time and money refighting the last election.
Roeder - Likewise, Republicans from Ohio were not pleased by the Democrats' objection. Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) called the procedural challenge an effort by "certain extreme elements of Sen. Kerry's own party" to mock an election that Kerry himself conceded.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Republicans from Ohio were not pleased by the Democrats' objection. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, called the challenge an effort by "certain extreme elements of Senator Kerry's own party" to mock an election that Kerry himself conceded.
Roeder - Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) concurred. Charges made about Ohio's election are "wild, incoherent and completely unsubstantiated," he said. On the Senate floor, Dewine added that he found it "almost impossible to believe" that the Senate was debating the matter when the official results showed that Bush won his state with more 118,000 votes.
Cameron, Asher & Mills - Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said charges made about Ohio’s election are “wild, incoherent and completely unsubstantiated. He delivered a statement on the Senate floor saying he found it "almost impossible to believe" that the Senate was debating the matter when the official results showed that Bush won his state with more 118,000 votes.

I'm not sure if Mr. Roeder has a blog but if he does I hope he can explain his thievery just as eloquently as Mr. Gannon does at his self-titled blog: "I'm everything people on the Left seem to despise. I'm a man who is white, politically conservative, a gun-owner, an SUV driver and I've voted for Republicans. I'm pro-American, pro-military, pro-democracy, pro-capitalism, pro-free speech, anti-tax and anti-big government. Most importantly, I'm a Christian. Not only by birth, but by rebirth through the blood of Jesus Christ."

We can agree on one point, Mr. Gannon, you certainly seem to be pro-capitalism. But you also seem to be pro-paid speech by big government taxes (also I'm a little confused...if the "people on the left" despise whites and are supposed to be anti-black and anti-Hispanic for opposing the nominations of a liar and a torture lawyer who's left for us to like?...oh yeah...I forgot...we're all Saddamites and Laden lovers...my bad).

More Later

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# posted by Ron Brynaert : 2/06/2005 09:00:00 PM