Jellycrats

America Blog has more on the Gannon matter, including this post which points out a major weakness in the Democratic party--their inability to understand that this is a legitimate matter to aggressively pursue:

Democrats in the US Senate are reportedly cooling to the notion of pushing for an investigation of the entire Gannon/Plame link. Why are the Democratic Senators backing off the idea of investigating this mess? Because now it appears Gannon was a hooker too, on top of everything else.

Yes, you got that right. Because we've uncovered even MORE damaging information about this guy and this White House, the Dems in the Senate are now getting cold feet. What? Do Democratic Senators have a soft-spot for hookers? (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Did they never intend to really push for an inquiry, and now that we've given them reason for one they're getting scared they might actually have to do their job?

Yes, God forbid that someone actually asked a Democratic Senator to step up to the plate and do his God damn job. God forbid someone actually expected the Democratic party to take a swipe at this president. Think about it. Gannon is fair game when we think he might be involved with prostitution, but when we pretty much prove it, then the Dems scurry like rats.

Take a look at the post, and I also recommend the rest of Aravosis's site.

And I might as well add a link to the Joe Conason piece about Gannon/Guckert that lays (no pun intended) it all out in a concise manner.

Hullabaloo also adds something worth reading to the mix--here's the entire post, but this line certainly makes sense:

pay no attention to the naked gay conservative male prostitute sitting in the middle of the family values white house living room.(Digby attributes this to another writer who's name he unfortunately can't recall, but nonetheless credit wherever it's due).

And here's another point:

I hear endless braying about how the Democrats have to "fight back." And yet... we just don't seem to to have the heart to play the raw political game [Rethugs] play.

Indeed.

Like it or not, politics at the national level will often be a dirty business. Rethuglicans know this, and behave accordingly. Democrats either don't know, or maybe consider it beneath them--to the point that they've not only become the equivalent of whipping boys, but when presented with an opportunity to fight back, they choose to hide in the corner or under the rug. I think some of this is due to DLC leadership, which brought Clinton--and little else. In fact, one thing I've noticed over the last decade or so is how apologetic Democrats seem for taking positions that are at the core of what it means to be American. I wonder if that's due to the ongoing groveling for money that's at the heart of the political process these days (groveling that Howard Dean proved unnecessary, by the way).

Rethuglican-Lite won't work. Neither will turning tail when you've got a chance to note the hypocrisy of the administration--who, recall, might well have paid for Mr. Gannon/Guckert to lob softballs to one Scott McClellan--after all, they certainly paid real journalists. What prevented them from maybe paying a fake one? If Democrats want to be taken seriously, they need to take advantage of things like the Gannon matter. No, it's not pretty--but it's how politics is played these days.