Wilkes. Wade. Cunningham. Hookers. And more...

First, a simple question: Why is Brent Wilkes, the spooked-up bribe-master who ran so many not-quite-real businesses, still living as a free man in Poway, California?

Second, the Wall Street Journal and TPM Muckraker report that the juiciest aspect of the scandal will soon burst wide upon. Remember the hookers? Remember the "hospitality suites" at the Watergate (yes, the Watergate) and the Westin Grand?

Wade says his mentor and fellow Cunningham briber Brent Wilkes had set up the ring -- rented the hotel rooms, found the limousine company and the hookers.

We've heard for months that other congressfolk were involved, but so far, the only name we have is Cunningham's.

Here's the really intriguing bit: So far, none of these stories have specified the sex of the prostitutes. Read the WSJ piece carefully, and you'll see that writer Scot Paltrow goes out of his way to avoid assigning gender-revelatory pronouns to the "escorts." As I noted in a previous piece (scroll down to "Finally, our story goes gay"), the Washington Blade identified Cunningham -- who has made some rabidly anti-homosexual pronouncements -- as having, shall we say, a secret life.

One of Wilkes' few employees appears to be the same fellow who owns a San Diego dance club with a gay clientele. Gay porn has been shot there in "off hours."

There's no point in humiliating Duke further. But don't you want to know who else might have made use of this service...?