Goss'd Out

Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre was just on CNN talking about Porter Goss's suprise resignation as CIA chief. When asked why Goss unexpectedly quit, McIntyre feigned ignorance and couldn't quite find the words.

The story may be right in front of the mainstream media. Could it be encapsulated in one word? Hookers.

Goss may be the first casualty of the expanding investigation into Duke Cunningham, otherwise known as Hookergate. Cunningham's indicted co-conspirators, defense contractors Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade, provided suites at the Westin and Watergate (sound familiar?) to entertain Congressman and other DC players. According to Ken Silverstein of Harper's, "party nights began early with poker games and degenerated into what the source described as a "frat party" scene--real bacchanals." The FBI is investigating whether prostitutes were involved. The Watergate has received multiple subpoenas.

Goss's #3 man at the CIA, Dusty Foggo, has already admitted to attending "poker parties." Silverstein, one of the best investigative reporters in Washington, revealed last week that "those under intense scrutiny by the FBI are current and former lawmakers on Defense and Intelligence comittees--including one person who now holds a powerful intelligence post."

Goss certainly fits that bill.

Comments (29)

1. Why are we so puritanical that we care who has been with a hooker and who hasn't? Just as with Clinton, I feel what someone does with their genetalia is their own business as long as no one comes back claiming rape, murder, child molestation or assault. In a way, I would rather have people running government who are sexually satisfied so that we don't have a bunch of frustrated, anxiety-ridden hotheads in control of our military, especially our nuclear, biological and chemical arsenal.

   Posted by Lennonist at 05/05/2006 @ 3:43pm

2. But considering the political climate and puritanical mindset (especially of the religous right base)...they're fucked!

   Posted by leftofcenter at 05/05/2006 @ 3:45pm

3. Nah, they'll flip flop.

   Posted by Lennonist at 05/05/2006 @ 3:48pm

4. Now, if the hookers were paid for by lobbyists or orther special interest groups, or government funds were used in procurement, we might have an issue that merits scrutiny. But without that, it's just an intrusion into one's personal life in my mind.

   Posted by Lennonist at 05/05/2006 @ 3:51pm

5. One also wonders, I suppose, do the hookers have top secret clearances?

   Posted by Lennonist at 05/05/2006 @ 3:52pm

6. Well, it appears that some of our 'honorable and righteous' citizens took the Bible verse, "love thy neighbor", a little too literally.

   Posted by oraibi1952 at 05/05/2006 @ 3:59pm

7. Great - just what the MSM has been drooling for - another tawdry sex scandal. Nothing like one of those to wake up the MSM to cover a topic like rabid dogs. I wager we will learn all there is to know about Wilkes and Wade's hooker parties; probing questions from the press on every excruciating detail - down to every last blow job and particular sexual fetish. Also, expect to ALL be experts on the Duke rape case by the end of the summer. Contrast this with the media's attention span and kid-gloves treatment to issues of real substance like Iraq pre- war intelligence, the NSA spying, torture, etc. I guess stories on hooker parties get higher ratings than ones on where the fuck is the Senate Intelligence Committee's long overdue Phase II report on the adminsitration's use (misuse) of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq

   Posted by Hman23 at 05/05/2006 @ 4:25pm

8. Hman,

   The Nation is as guilty as EVERY other publication for COMPLETELY ignoring the Phase II debacle. I mean, last December, we were led to believe that Harry Reid thought it so important as to shut the god damn senate down to get some answers yet 7 months later we find out how important both the media and the democratic party really thought Phase II was.

   Screw the Nation if thier attention span is going to be as limited as the corporate press is.

   Posted by freedomplease at 05/05/2006 @ 4:32pm

9. I hear you Freedom. I am with Lennonist. If there is no connection vis-a-vis the thoughts in his 3:51 post, I could care less.

   Posted by Hman23 at 05/05/2006 @ 4:41pm

10. In the past, a good number of compromised spies and spilled secrets have involved a girlfriend of some sort. So this may not be a complete waste of time.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 05/05/2006 @ 4:44pm

11. It is a waste of time, as important as Barney Franks hooker escourt service run out of his apartment. Did the Nation waste time on the story, too? I doubt it...

    Who cares...

    Posted by john maasch at 05/05/2006 @ 4:51pm

12. Good riddance to Porter Goss. He was perhaps the worst excuse for a DCI I have ever seen. Jacques Clouseau would have been a better choice.

    Goss' mission at the CIA was to weed out those "disloyal" to the Bush agenda -- which means to make sure no one tells policymakers anything but what they want to hear, whether the intelligence gathered from the field supports it or not. That's just dangerous.

    Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that Goss' successor won't be another political hack. The best way to prevent a further erosion in the professionalism of intelligence gathering is to change the people selecting the DCI by impeaching and removing Bush and Cheney.

    Posted by Jack Rabbit at 05/05/2006 @ 4:58pm

13. It is a waste of time, as important as Barney Franks hooker escourt service run out of his apartment. Did the Nation waste time on the story, too? I doubt it...

    Who cares...

    Posted by JOHN MAASCH 05/05/2006 @ 4:51pm | ignore this person

    Barney Frank ran a hooker "escourt" service? (As opposed to the ACTUAL gay escort, Jeff Gannon, acutally visiting the White House, repeatedly, at night, when there were no "press conferences" scheduled.) So I Googled that and got this funny post...

    What happened was an aide to the congressman was running a gay escort service out of his office.

    When the Republicans found out about it, they moved to censor Barney. However Mr. Frank threatened to reveal the names of the many gay Republican congressman.

    Frank had learned about these chaps in conversations that went something like this: "Barney, I'm as gay as they come. However, I ran for Congress as a born-again Christian on a strong anti-gay platform. If I reveal the truth, my redneck supporters will rush out of their trailers, load their pickups with tar, feather and rope, and drag me out of town. I only wish I could represent a kind and progressive district like yours, where I could tell the truth about myself."

    When the Republican leadership heard Barney's threat to name the many gay Republicans the censor motion was immediately dropped.

    So I guess that's why I never heard of it.

    Posted by Lillian at 05/05/2006 @ 7:39pm

14. Back on topic, sure JM, who cares if the head of the CIA was attending gambling and sex parties run by convicted (oops, sorry...indicted) lobbyists.

    As much a non-story as, say, the Vice President getting buzzed and SHOOTING A FRIEND N THE FACE. Nothing to see here, move along...

    Although I agree with Jack Rabbit...good riddance to another incompetant Bush appointee!

    Posted by Lillian at 05/05/2006 @ 7:47pm

15. Lil,

    He could qualify as a friend of Teddy...and some of his escapades..

    Posted by john maasch at 05/05/2006 @ 8:15pm

16. Point is who cares about this story..

    Posted by john maasch at 05/05/2006 @ 8:16pm

17. you did

    you're here discussing it.

    Posted by Will C. at 05/05/2006 @ 9:50pm

18. Lil,

    He could qualify as a friend of Teddy...and some of his escapades..

    Posted by JOHN MAASCH 05/05/2006 @ 8:15pm | ignore this person

    Sure John. He isn't actually of friend of Ted but...well...let's not let reality interupt what I'm sure must be a real swell hamster fantasy. (To employ a cute "Will-ism")

    Posted by Lillian at 05/05/2006 @ 10:37pm

19. Maaschy, The concern over the Kennedys is really big of you. I trust that you gave the "god " of piggyness and chronic addiction, Limbaugh, a little love also.

    I hate to say this, but you are a dumb shit.

    Love, (despite your obvious handicaps)

    Posted by bloppy at 05/05/2006 @ 11:57pm

20. yppolb, "Maaschy, The concern over the Kennedys is really big of you. I trust that you gave the "god " of piggyness and chronic addiction, Limbaugh, a little love also.

    I hate to say this, but you are a dumb shit.

    Love, (despite your obvious handicaps)

    Posted by BLOPPY 05/05/2006 @ 11:57pm | "

    Couldn't care less about the Kennedys...they should all retire and get a real job. They haven't worked in generations and it might clear out the gene pool.

    As far as shit is concerned...we all know what Bloppy spelled backwards sounds like...proba ly a little odiferous, too...

    Posted by john maasch at 05/06/2006 @ 10:03am

21. Hookers aside isn't there another more obvious reason for Goss' resignation ? The CIA has been "dissed" for years by this administration who pinned the blame on the spooks for the "bad" intelligence on WMDs. Tennet fell on his sword like a good soldier for what was clearly the administration's screw up.

    Lately we've started to hear from CIA agents grumbling openly about what has been going on. Then we get the Mary McCarthy firing, another monumentally heavy handed attempt by this pitiful administration to silence dissent and squelsh any truth that might accidentally leak out. Goss, who was already hated by the rank and file, was obviously responsible for this idiocy at the behest of course of the Cheney cabal. Maybe what were seeing is a open revolt ( well as open as spooks are ever going to get anyway ) within an agency that has become totally demoralized and had enough of political hacks screwing with it ?

    Posted by MikeKing at 05/06/2006 @ 10:35am

22. In short Captain Goss abandonned ship before it starts to go down. Nothing more complicated than that.

    Posted by MikeKing at 05/06/2006 @ 10:41am

23. The fact is, the United States' most highly positioned intelligence authorities and the politicians who are obviously working so very hard to prevent us from falling victims to terrorists live very stressful and extraordinary lives (at least 8 months out of the year) and must be given slack for wanting to indulge in the earthly delights the rest of us sheep are to enlightened to enjoy.

    Unless of course, your name is Bill Clinton.

    Posted by pcr at 05/06/2006 @ 1:11pm

24. Here we are again one more scandle to investigate whats the current count?

    We must have some relief from those ir-responcibles or we will continue to have fools like pdr and masssch and the great hypocritical antichrist lvl standing up for fraud and injustice and the "UN-American way" or have we turned the corner and this is the new norm?

    Posted by dycel8r at 05/06/2006 @ 1:34pm

25. That's PCR DYCEL8R, not PDR. And it's called irony. Come on in.

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-869183917758574879

    P.S. Why isn't anyone at the Nation commenting on the Colbert speech. This is the best stuff of the week!

    Posted by pcr at 05/06/2006 @ 1:58pm

26. we did

    It was the best stuff of the week

    :)

    Posted by Will C. at 05/06/2006 @ 6:38pm

27. Maaschy, You are too stupid for words. Even your danged goats know this. Try whittlin'..It's fun. (all you need is a piece o' wood and a blade). Make sumpin bootyful, cracker-ass.

    Love, Bloppy

    Masshy, If you need help with safety issues, and such..jest call! I'll help you through the dificult parts.

    Posted by bloppy at 05/06/2006 @ 9:46pm

28. That sound again...

    Posted by john maasch at 05/06/2006 @ 11:28pm

29. Prostitution is illegal--getting a BJ for FUN, not money, is NOT illegal. The difference is the law--not morality!

    Posted by wildflrz at 05/09/2006 @ 1:41pm