Um... here's one good reason why the Secret Service might not want to show the White House Guest Log

[zulchzulu]

OK. Got your attention!

Anyway, the White House Guest Log release to MSNBC's Republican Reporter Jake Logger (or what the fuck his name is) is demanding access to the logs. I can see why he wants to change the subject.

On Tuesday, the Clinton White House released the names of 800-plus people who stayed overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom, and the president defended the practice of inviting friends and supporters to stay overnight. The White House also released several hundred pages of documents, some with his handwritten notes from Clinton enthusiastically supporting the idea.

But Republicans accuse the president of using the White House to raise campaign funds and want an independent prosecutor named to investigate the fund-raising.

At a press conference today with Chilean president Eduardo Frei, Clinton was asked again about the fund-raising and again defended himself.

"We got strict advice about -- legal advice -- about what the rules were and everyone involved knew what the rules were," Clinton said.

"Did we hope that the people that came there would support me, particularly after we got into a political season? Of course we did.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/02/26/clinton.lincoln/

In case you're missing something, a White House Guest Log is not something you put in your fireplace. It's something you fuck with as a lazy reporter to "get a story". It's so fucking easy to demonize that it practically writes itself as an Uber Press Release.

All you have to do is induce paranoia.

So let's say you have a party at your house (if you still own one that's not under foreclosure) and some guy who beats his wife shows up for the lasagna platter and a couple puffs from the Ol' Bongeroo. You mother fucker! You support wife beating! Ya bastid!

OK. So you have a Christmas Party and have a wreath with a cross in it and, under the tree, you placed the Manger sculpture your Aunt Wessie gave to you when you were knee-high to a Buddha sculpture*. Your Wiccan girlfriend shows up and protests that you support theocratic pro-Christian Crusades and such. It's your fault!

Now... let's look at the White House Guest log.

Yep, all those damn celebrities. (Obama supports wife swapping and divorce)

All those musicians. (Obama supports crappy music and recreational drugs)

All those actors. (See above)

All those Republican Senators and Congress members. (Obama supports Republican policies)

Dang, even preachers and atheists! (Obama supports theocrats who are against God)

Fuck, even some people from auto unions! (Obama supports bad cars)

Oh my fucking God! (Obama supports... whoops...)

I see Nancy Pelosi AND Harry Reid! (Obama supports them... yunno, them!)

And a couple guests they have!

Wow!

There's some dudes from the pharma industry! (Obama supports the pharma's view that healthcare is OK...)

Some LGBT leaders! (Obama might be gay)

Some Latino leaders! (Obama might be Latino)

Some Catholic priests and a couple nuns! (Obama supports priests molesting children)

Springsteen! (Obama supports... Oh, never mind...)

Stevie Wonder! (Obama supports Motown)

Earth, Wind and Fire! (Obama supports more Motown)

Some Australian didgereedoo champions! (Obama supports funny sounding instruments where you puff a "raspberry" to make it sound cool)

A few dog adoption representatives! (Obama wants to kill kittens)

Some military generals! (Obama supports nuclear war)

Some banking executives! (Obama supports money and shit...)

Leaders with barely pronounceable names from countries most people didn't even know existed let alone could identify on a World map. (Obama is a secret Muslim)

Some World leaders from Islamic countries AND from Israel! (Obama supports camels)

Some National League football, baseball, hockey stars and... cheerleaders! (Obama spends too much time watching sports on TV)

It's pretty fucking obvious what Obama is up to with the guests coming to the White House.

Pretty damn fucking obvious! He's listening to these apparently evil people and is going to "vote their way".

That said, I loved the fucking Concern Troll Keith Olbermann bring it up as an issue on his flailing show tonight. Wow. Do they make tinfoil baseball hats?

:crazy:

[jgraz]

1. Yes, a government embarrassed by its actions has every right to cover up public information

Especially information that's been required by a court. Twice.

If you're happy with this style of government, have fun. Some of us still think we voted to change the way Washington operates (now where have I heard that before?).

[zulchzulu]

12. So tell us what Obama is hiding... let's see the accusations... you're the genius in the room n/t

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[jgraz]

18. Not worth it

Enjoy your police state

[spoony]

21. Lol, glad I saw it

It was totally worth it :P

[jgraz]

22. It is impressive he can still type from in there

Maybe he wears one of those little miner's hats.

[Jim Sagle]

30. Yeah, but what does he do about the stench? Oh wait...he LIKES it.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[jgraz]

36. Are you kidding? Everybody knows it smells like roses in there.

To suggest anything else would be unpatriotic.

[zulchzulu]

31. Police state? Are you just plain nuttier than squirrel dung?

So a guest list log that you didn't probably even know existed yesterday is now the Concern Troll Whine of the Day... now it's part of a "police state"?

My God. You must be so paranoid that when you walk down the street (I'm assuming a lot with that), that you see evil of all kinds out to get you....

BOOOO!!!!

:rofl:

[dgibby]

42. Try looking in your own mirror.

[zulchzulu]

46. Can you people at least learn what "N/T" means ferchrissakes...

Look it up. Sheesh.

[dgibby]

53. I know what it means.

[zulchzulu]

60. From your post... you DON'T! n/t

[dgibby]

72. Thank you for your concern; however, I've checked the DU rules

and there's nothing that says I have to use it. And now that I know it bothers you so much, I
definitely won't be using it here. Now, if you'd just asked nicely.....but, of course, a CON'TROLL
freak wouldn't ever consider asking, much less asking nicely. (And no, I didn't misspell control, I
just decided to play off your theme.:evilgrin:

[jgraz]

59. Right after you learn what STFU means

N/T

[zulchzulu]

63. Actually the n/t usage in your message text block is proving you don't know what n/t means

T!

[jgraz]

65. Now I'm just fucking with you.

n/t

[spoony]

82. LOL

n/t

[jgraz]

83. n

t

[endarkenment]

100. t

[cherokeeprogressive]

84. Why doesn't Obama show us what he's hiding? Why is it someone elses job to give concrete

reasons for putting an opaque screen in front of something like the records of who's visited OUR FUCKING HOUSE?

Why do accusations have to be made AT ALL? It's a public building, and those who enter certain places in it are carefully screened. With TAX PAYER MONEY, I might add.

Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH TRANSPARENCY? I would think you'd answer a resounding YES.

[Solomon]

96. The other thing left out of the post is the protection of

the people who go there. Imagine the investigations of the people who have visited the white house just to get a sensational story.

If people were mature enough to handle things then there would be no reason at all not to disclose. But the right-wing industry of 24/7 haters will seize upon names and rant every single day.

[roguevalley]

101. it seems odd to say the least that this list would be covered up.

I don't get it. If there is nothing there, there is nothing to hide away. it makes he look awful.

[masuki bance]

2. Good reason, can't have any of that criticizing going on. nt

[jgraz]

5. Seriously. When did we move to East Germany?

Could the OP possibly demonstrate less of a basic understanding of democracy?

Wait... yes he can.

[firedupdem]

3. With all the crap going on in the world, this is what "they" concentrate on?

They will never give this guy a break...fuck em!

And no, I didn't give a shit who bush had over either. The President running the damn country in a better direction than it was previously headed, is my major concern!

[jgraz]

6. Really? You're running the country?

Whew. Glad to see somebody's doing it.

Now about that single payer...

[firedupdem]

7. aaack!

It's late..I fixed it! Goodnite :)

[jgraz]

10. It still doesn't make sense

Without transparency, how will you know what the hell the President is doing?

[spoony]

15. Because he'll tell us, silly!

I'm sure he'll decide what we need to know and when. Now get out of my way I'm late for a puppy thread!!1

[zulchzulu]

24. Do you want a webcam at Obama's toilet to get the full "transparency" in government?

Were you concerned about the White House Guest log before the MSNBC Republican reporter Jake Lakesnot asked for it? Were you even aware that Presidents rarely ever show their Guest log?

Let's rewind. Bill Clinton gave a partial listing of his Guest log (as seen and linked in my OP) and what did it do?

It gave the Republicans a chance to change the subject and insinuate "evil" about his Lincoln Bedroom guests... which had been used in the Bush and Reagan administrations...

So when does it end? Are guests at the White House supposed to mean that the guests did the Vulcan Mind Meld on Obama and changed his policy based on their interests?

Does the opinion of an anti-healthcare reform Pharma exec cancel out the pro-Single Payer opinion of a visiting Union executive?

Your concern is duly noted...

[QC]

58. Quite a few people here would pay big bucks to subscribe to that. n/t

[sniffa]

89. *snort*

:rofl:

[MADem]

62. A webcam at the toilet would certainly record a few ...guest logs.... nt

[zulchzulu]

64. EXCELLENT usage of the n/t tag! And even funny! n/t

[Jim Sagle]

32. No we can't (it's not American).

:shrug:

[Hissyspit]

9. Um. The visits of Abramoff and Jeff Gannon to the Bush White House were pretty important.

Not to mention it's our government. It is answerable to us.

[zulchzulu]

19. Obviously there are "new" Abramoffs and Jeff Gannons visiting Obama for chitlins and jazz

It just has to be!

:crazy:

[jgraz]

23. You're embarrassing yourself

Put down the Night Train and go to bed.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

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[Jim Sagle]

37. I'm guessing it's cock. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

;)

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

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[Jim Sagle]

66. You're no DA, and I won't undergo a cross examination by you.

Bottom line - the log is public business. Period.

Not much to discuss, Gus.

[Hissyspit]

26. That is hardly the point.

[dgibby]

47. Chitlins? Sterotype much?

Disgusting. If you're the best cheerleader Obama has, I pity the man.

[zulchzulu]

56. So you assume a guest at the White House then means Obama agrees with all they think?

The "Chitlins and Jazz" comment was referring to how some people think that if a coal energy executive is a guest at the White House, then OF COURSE Obama wants to suffocate every child with coal dust and laugh as the coal power plant spews smoke on to a little ol' town in Georgia...

Actually, chitlins are good with jazz. Ever been to New Orleans? The fabulous Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter offers chitlins on the menu and they usually have a great jazz trio playing in the dining room. I've been there.

:hi:

[msongs]

4. it was good enough for bush to do, it's good enough for Obama nt

[sisters6]

93. :-)

[spoony]

8. I can't tell which "most x in one post" record you're going for

Non sequiturs or instances of 'fuck'.

[havocmom]

11. You forgot some kids who came to play with Sasha and listen to music with Malia

I would guess it is tough to arrange play dates when any kids coming over would be fair game for the press to investigate? Just one of the things I pondered this evening.

[jgraz]

13. Yeah, they were right behind Rick Warren and the coal executives.

They had a play date with the president.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hutzpa]

20. Hey! Nance part deaux

Sir! you forgot to mention ET, remember, he stayed over at the White House too, does that mean
the President he is an Alien from outer space(?) inquiring minds would like to know....:P

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[masuki bance]

29. You have 4 OP's on the front page of GDP, and you are

claiming people have too much time on their hands?

And that's not counting your posts that have been locked and/or pulled just since yesterday, and the 9 plus responses of yours in this OP alone.



*edit for punctuation

[zulchzulu]

35. I'm usually less outraged at the Concern Troll Whines of the Day

It's been a bumper crop of stupidity from the same Concern Trolls who were against Obama in the primaries... as for the OPs and recommendations, there clearly are more people on DU that are not stupid.

I'll be away on holiday soon in Europe so you can fill up DU with all the anti-Obama crap you want to post. Take a typing class for all I care.

[dgibby]

50. Wow! There IS a God after all!

Could you take the rest of the cheerleader squad with you? Please!

[sniffa]

90. Ha!

:thumbsup:

[masuki bance]

85. ...

n/t

[MadHound]

33. Ah yes, obfuscation and hyperbole, the final defense of the indefensible

Sorry, but the fact of the matter is that the Obama administration is continuing to defy the ruling of a judge.

This isn't about CREW wanting to know who went to a White House party, or who everybody was on the guest list. Nope, they are wanting to know if 7, count them, 7 coal industry leaders have visited the White House. Hmm, why would that nefarious group CREW want to know if coal industry leaders were visiting the White House? Couldn't possibly be that our energy future is at stake or anything, or that they learned their lesson with Cheney's secret meeting with oil industry execs, eh?

So despite your overblown rhetoric and your attempts to obfuscate this matter with so much smoke and hot air, the fact of the matter is that CREW is acting in the publics' interest, and Obama, well he's doing like his predecessor, defying the law of the land.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MadHound]

45. I see that your penchant for strawmen is unabated, not surprising,

Especially considering that the fact is we're not discussing the merits of coal vs. renewables here, but rather the fact that Obama is continuing to defy a judge's ruling. So please, keep to the discussion at hand in this thread. If you want to discuss "clean" coal vs. renewables, go start a thread on it, but keep the strawmen out of this thread and try to honestly address the issue at hand in this thread.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

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[MadHound]

57. Again, focus. This is about Obama defyng a judge's ruling

This isn't about coal, this isn't about privacy, this is about a ruling in a US court of law, and the fact that Obama, much like Bush, is defying that ruling.

That you can even attempt to defend this, in your own strange, twisted and unintelligible way, is quite telling of where your priorities and ethics lay. Apparently it's OK with you for a president to defy the law, that is if you happen to support the president. Let me guess though, you were vociferously opposed to Cheney's secret meetings with oil execs(and don't make me go searching).

Sad, truly sad.

[jgraz]

67. Coincidentally, he's defying the EXACT SAME ruling Bush was.

N/T for zulie. Cuz you know he looked.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MadHound]

71. So you are OK with Obama continuing to defy the law.

You're just fine with Obama defying a judge's ruling.

Well, it's been real, it's been fun, but this hasn't been real fun. I think that I've done my job here, helped expose you for the hypocrite that you are, expose just how twisted your political ethos are. But it's midnight now, time for bed. So get in your last, twisted, nonsensical word in, and I'm going to call it a night. I'm sure I'll have a good laugh in the morning.

[jgraz]

78. Apparently so.

Now shut up and watch the puppies.

[angee_is_mad]

38. Remember Obama

is a terrorist because he was once in the same room as Ayers.
Your post makes a lot of sense. The msm would definitely go bat shit crazy with innuendos and speculation about who has been there.

[Duncan Grant]

41. "...the fucking Concern Troll Keith Olbermann..."?! C'mon, this is a parody post right?

(tiptoes slowly backward, out the way he came in...)

[jgraz]

44. Zulie's entire account is a parody

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[emilyg]

52. jgraz a troll? You're kidding - right????

[jgraz]

54. you know it. 20,000 troll posts and counting

:rofl:

[MadHound]

61. JGRAZ! My brother in trolling!

:fistbump::rofl:

[emilyg]

73. I think you're the one I called my "son" - a few troll years ago. Hope you are well.

Keep it up Troll - :hug:

[jgraz]

80. I recall we argued. Then we made up. Then we argued some more

Hey, maybe I AM your son.

Ma, is that you?


:D

[dgibby]

68. Just for shits and giggles

I went back and counted the number of times the OP has used the phrase "concern troll"- 13 and counting. He's like a kid with a new toy.

[jgraz]

75. One of these days, someone should tell him what it means

Aw, nevermind. It's more entertaining this way.

[QC]

55. He is a comic genius, and some of his recent threads rank

among his very best work.

I have long been a great fan.

[spoony]

81. He's DU's Andy Kaufman.

And I don't have anything else to say so I'll put my n/t here in the message body :D

[QC]

92. n/t

I agree. It all surely must be brilliant performance art.

[dave29]

49. This thread has become a fucking train-wreck

I hope someone locks it and sends the kids to their rooms. Seriously folks, take a time out, do some meditation, get some perspective.

Or just follow Bob's advice at the end of Haiku Tunnel (see end of clip):

"Go back to your desk, Settle down, FOCUS!, and Catch up!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7LO1PDm2O0

Things are not THAT bad. We should consider, I don't know -- working together.

[sniffa]

91. Count the deleted messages

and how many are from the OP.

[nichomachus]

70. It's not a "guest list"

It's the visitor log -- it should be a public document and DU was totally outraged when they wouldn't release Bush's visitor logs.

Obama said he was against that. He promised to make his public.

He lied.

[emilyg]

74. +1

[zulchzulu]

76. So tell us what you see in the Sears crystal ball...

I am sure the White House Guest list, aka the visitor log, was a big issue for you with all the Presidents. Your forthright concern about who has passed security and visited Obama or perhaps his staff has been nothing short of dedication beyond all measure.

You warned us! We looked away. You knew that Obama was meeting with evil people hellbent on taking your and my shit away. We were foolish. You called it from the start... some five months ago.

I remember it well.

"Watch the logs!", you cried as if with your last breath. You refused water and offers to help you change from your soiled clothes from being on a hunger strike about the "logs" made you all the more admirable.

You are my hero. How could I have been so... um... what's the word. Um... hold on.

Um... how could I and all that don't know the Path To The Truth like you have been so... foolish.

You warned us! May I kiss your feet? Please? I swear I won't lick the toejam. Promise....

:crazy:

[stevenleser]

77. We were outraged in relation to a specific issue and instance.

Sorry, I never saw any posts saying that the entire visitors log should be public. The outrage was specific to who visited and attended the meetings on energy policy. That doesnt mean that there werent one or two posts calling for the "entire log", but I didnt see them. What I saw was a desire to know who attended those meetings. THat was the point behind the bruhaha. A desire to see an entire visitors log for a term just to see it is not useful IMHO.

[jgraz]

79. OK, now you're just posting nonsense.

The entire visitors log is public record. No one, ever, called for just part of the visitor's log to be public.

Which part? And who would decide? Did people just want the "bad" logs released?

How in hell does that make any sense?

[cherokeeprogressive]

86. It's simple. We're asking for TOO MUCH transparency, TOO SOON.

Obama has much on his plate. He's inherited a total mess and has to deal with more immediate problems than the ones WE'RE concerned with, like civil rights and an end to illegal wars and occupations. He's only been in office for four months (I saw those very words in a reply to an OP just this last week), and ya know... transparency takes a very long time to establish. It's not something you can do overnight. There are other, more important things that he's working on than making us confident that the government is on the side of openness and honesty.

Besides, * didn't show HIS. That makes it perfectly right (if not expected of a Good Democrat) for us to play the schoolyard game of "THEY DID IT, WHY SHOULDN'T WE?".

That said, if you've EVER complimented KO for anything at all, you're a total fucking hypocrite for calling him a CONCERN TROLL.

[quakerboy]

87. Your op is its own rebuttal

First, is there anything on that list they are not already accusing him of?

Second, what happens when they accuse him of every one of those things, right on cue? It makes the rediculousness completely obvious and everyone completely ignores it, except for the nut jobs primed to believe them. And they have never needed anything so trivial as "proof" so they are irrelevant to this discussion..

[burning rain]

88. Just one short segment, & it *was* worth a mention.

I wouldn't say Keith was concern trolling.

[ecstatic]

94. You raise good points

The useful info would be lost among a sea of witch hunts by his political enemies. I won't deny that keeping the list open is transparency at it's greatest--but the potential for bad far outweighs any insight normal people would gain by seeing the list.

[endarkenment]

95. I was promised transparency.

If the guest list is embarrassing, if in fact crap such as the pay to sleep shit in the Clinton administration is the problem, I have a simple solution: don't do that shit.

I was promised transparency as part of the 'change' that I was supposed to be able to 'believe in' and I am now being sold 'more of the same' along with a pile of bullshit excuses for why it is good when Team Blue does it but bad when Team Red was doing it.

[QC]

97. It's only been five months!

That's not enough time to stop just doing whatever Bush did.

[endarkenment]

98. sarcasm?

In this case yes of course five months, five days, heck five hours was more than enough time to decide that the visitor log is not a state secret.

[QC]

99. I agree. "It's only been ___ {days/months/years} is the current talking point.

It's getting a little stale.