Hoo-boy.
Ron Rosenbaum claims that the LAT is sitting on a potentially blockbuster sex story concerning one of the “top-tier” candidates in the ’08 Presidential and is sitting on it for, get this, “ethical reasons”.
Pretending that reporters still have ethics or journalistic standards is a real hoot Mr. Rosenbaum, we’ll all enjoy a hearty laugh about that, then let’s get down to business. Here’s the gist:
Shocking Inside DC Scandal Rumor: A Media Ethics Dilemma (the only think shocking is that the media even invokes ‘ethics’ as a reason they are or are not holding a story):
So I was down in DC this past weekend and happened to run into a well-connected media person, who told me flatly, unequivocally that “everyone knows” The LA Times was sitting on a story, all wrapped up and ready to go about what is a potentially devastating sexual scandal involving a leading Presidential candidate. “Everyone knows” meaning everyone in the DC mainstream media political reporting world. “Sitting on it” because the paper couldn’t decide the complex ethics of whether and when to run it. The way I heard it they’d had it for a while but don’t know what to do. The person who told me )not an LAT person) knows I write and didn’t say “don’t write about this”.
If it’s true, I don’t envy the LAT. I respect their hesitation, their dilemma, deciding to run or not to run it raises a lot of difficult journalism ethics questions and they’re likely to be attacked, when it comes out—the story or their suppression of the story—whatever they do.
Enough with this “tortured reporter weighing ethics”- put it the heck out there and let people start vetting the truth of it. All this cutsie-pie agonizing ‘should we? is it relevant? oh my paws and whiskers! what is a reporter to do?’ is bullcrap, excuse me.
If its that well known, its going to come out in a leak, probably a 5th hand one that is full of distortions. The people who have the best info should put it out there and then ask the questions that such a story raised, and let the chips fall where they may.
The media is NEVER reticent to release ANYTHING _unless_ its politically incorrect, or politically damaging to their strategy for getting a Dem in the Whitehouse, which brings up 3 possibilities:
Its Obama and a woman, which places the media again attacking a prominent black man. Bad for the media, they look like bullies, bad for the Dems as blacks circle the wagons and polarize the Democrat vote.
Its Guiliani, and they want to wait until it will damage him the most, after he’s got the nomination.
Its Clinton, as the presumptive nominee they want to let the Clinton spin machine war game this before it comes out to minimize harm to Hill. This assumes Bill, Hillary! is way too disciplined to do something like this, and I don’t even believe she has sex anymore at all, lesbian or otherwise. She’s evolved beyond sex, all the lesbian stories not-withstanding. Not that I don’t think she’s a lesbian, just that I don’t think she’d be dumb enough to let it ruin her campaign, or that she’s so driven by sex, as Bill was. However, you never know, she’s in menopausal/midlife crisis age bracket and she may have fallen for a young aid (Huma Abedin has been mentioned before) so its possible.
Its not Romney or Thompson, because it would already be out there. The leftist media despises them.
Its not McCain because I don’t believe its in him, plus he’s like what, 80? Not likely.
Its not Edwards, I guess, because this guy says its not. No one else matters in this race but those people.
So out with it already. This cuteness and acting like reporters still have ethics after all the crap that’s gone down in the last few years is risible. Spare me. Reporters have less ethics than used car salesmen. All they have left are political calculations that spike stories.
Well crap, I thought I was tipping Ace to this story but he’s hours ahead of me:
The Obligatory Huge Sex Scandal Being Spiked By The LAT Thread
Ace quotes Michael Musto:
As I recently said on MONICA CROWLEY’s radio show, whisper campaigns are claiming that HILLARY CLINTON is GAYLE KING–ing her aide de camp, the glamorous HUMA ABEDIN, an Indian/Pakistani goddess from Kalamazoo, Michigan. In other words, Hillary may be putting Huma out there in the press and purposely making her more visible as a pre-emptive strike that amounts to her hiding in plain sight. This way, no Republican can later say, “Who is this gorgeous babe who spends so much intimate time with Hillary that the Observer called her Hill’s ‘body person’? Was GENNIFER FLOWERS’s book right about Hillary’s sexual taste?” And does either of this couple have the balls to bottom?
Of course that whole scenario can’t possibly be true, since Bill and Hill have been so lovey-dovey lately for the cameras, and besides, whenever he’s been serviced by an intern—or by anyone—he’s clearly been thinking of his wife. (They’re that close.) But suddenly, Huma—a sort of Muslim SALMA HAYEK—has that spread in Vogue and the accompanying write-up notes that she “oversees every minute of Senator Clinton’s day.” Every single minute? Even Gayle King takes a break now and then! (PS: If I called for comment, Hillary’s camp would surely say, “Just because two powerful women are closer than sardines doesn’t make them dykes.” And that’s so true. Look at MATT and BEN. But now that Crowley has dubbed me the head of Huma Resources, I’m going to pursue this story with every cojone I’ve got.)
If the story is Bill has cheated, that’s good for Hillary! because every time a story comes up about him being a dog, Hillary! gets the sympathy vote and her postitives go up and her negatives go down, although why this is so I don’t know.
If the story is that Hillary! is a lezbo, her campaign is over, I don’t care how powerful she is or how much money she has- this country is NOT going to elect a lesbian, it barely has the liberality to elect a woman. But I would give a lot to hear her say the immortal line “I did not sleep that woman!” on national TeeVee!
I’ve said this for years, the first woman president will be a Republican, and she sure as hell won’t be a lesbian (at least not an outed one!)
God, let this be the story. Any Republican running against Obambi or Edwards will steamroll in a huge landslide.
More thoughts:
Captain’s Quarters: Keep Sitting on It
Instaputz: Dear L.A. Times: Run the Story!
RightVoices: Don’t Tell Anyone, But Rumor Has It That The LA Times Is Sitting On A Sex Scandal Involving A “Leading Candidate”
Roger Simon: It’s immigration, stupid!
Moderate Voice: Prez Candidate Sex Scandal In Offing?
Patterico: L.A. Times Sitting on a Sex Scandal??
Mickey Kaus: Dark Star
My Election Analysis If You’re Having A Slow Day
Blognetnews: L.A. Times Sitting on a Sex Scandal??
NRO The Campaign Spot: I’m a Doubter on that Los Angeles Times Rumor