WASHPOST 'SCANDAL': THEY GOT CAUGHT

NY Post ^ | July 8, 2009 | Jonah Goldberg

[Scanian]

BEFORE Sarah Palin stepped on the story, the talk of the Belt way was Salongate at The Washington Post. The venerable newspaper hatched a scheme whereby it would hold a series of "salons" at the home of publisher Katharine Weymouth in order to sell lobbyists and corporations access to Obama administration officials and the Post reporters and editors who cover them.

"Bring your organization's CEO or executive director literally to the table," read a flier for the first event. "Interact with key Obama administration and congressional leaders . . . Spirited? Yes. Confrontational? No. The relaxed setting in the home of Katharine Weymouth assures it."

The proposed ticket price? $25,000. Discount for 11 sponsorships? $250,000. Wonky badinage over crudites at Katharine's pad? Priceless.

Once Politico broke the story, the Post's newsroom went ballistic. The newsies were never asked to participate, and they swore they never would've. Weymouth canceled the scheme, and the Post blamed an aggressive marketing executive/event planner, Charles Pelton, for the debacle, saying he never cleared the fliers with her.

Would you invite a bunch of CEOs and pols to your boss' house without her seeing the invitation? Moreover, invitations to two politicians were sent from Weymouth's personal e-mail address.

Oh, and Pelton still has his job.

But the funny part is how everyone -- including the culprits -- agrees this was an affront to all that is good and holy. The New York Times called it a "grievous wound." (And because the Times is a dead paper walking, it should know.)

[Woebama]

Unbelievable. In a “normal” American era this would be a huge scandal. Betcha it doesn’t even get major news attention.

[Apparatchik]

Meet Katharine Weymouth - the new Washington DC Madam.

[6SJ7]

"When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion – when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – you may know that your society is doomed."

Atlas Shrugged

[radioone]

A commentator Monday said they feared the Feds were putting people ahead of profits in running General(Govt)Motors. That may sound good on paper, but look what happened to Twentieth Century Motors. This whole scenario is so Atlas Shrugged, it’s unbelievable.

[Spok]

The Washington Post has just figured out that there’s money in prostitution; why keep giving it away?

[maggief]

WaPoGate

[Jackson57]

In order to get this to the stage of sending out invitations, the WaPo would have had to have had commitments from Obama Administration insiders. Who are they? And why do THEY still have their jobs?

[6SJ7]

A commentator Monday said they feared the Feds were putting people ahead of profits in running General(Govt)Motors. That may sound good on paper, but look what happened to Twentieth Century Motors. This whole scenario is so Atlas Shrugged, it’s unbelievable.

Indeed. GM is the real-life 20'th Century Motors of Atlas Shrugged.