Yes, the Gannon story just got even stranger...!

Jeff Gannon, a real American he-ho, had found a media champion -- or at least a sympathizer -- in Gabe Caggiano, a reporter for the Montgomery County Sentinel. Gannon, whose real name is Jim Guckert, has given a suprising number of interviews to Caggiano, although the Sentinel reporter now feels "betrayed" by Gannon.

Why, one wonders, was Caggiano's coverage of the Gannon affair so lenient, even supportive? Caggiano does not have a reputation as a nice guy. Far from it.

Here's an excerpt from one story about Caggiano during his days as an on-air reporter for a Fox affiliate in Austin:

Until his firing on July 28, former "Fox-7" reporter Caggiano was very likely the most hated man in Austin television journalism. A few phone calls here and there can certainly make one believe so -- very quickly, one finds colleagues who complain that he is rude, unprofessional, sexist, belligerent, hot-tempered, and more than a little scary. Channel 7 reporters, former co-workers, journalists from rival stations, even Austin correspondents from non-competing stations in other cities -- all nearly fell over themselves in rushing to complain about Caggiano. And all, except one, asked to remain confidential, often citing a fear of physical violence from Caggiano.

His antics earned him the nickname "The TV terrorist." For more -- including his bizarre fracas with the Secret Service during a visit by Hillary Clinton -- see here.

It's odd for an ambitious newscaster to behave in this fashion -- most people in that business understand that one should "play nice" to get ahead. But a Democratic Underground poster has noted something even odder about Caggiano:

The guy's practically a dead ringer for Jim Guckert/Jeff Gannon!

About ten years ago, Caggiano did a little work in Hollywood. According to the IMDB, he did only a couple of bit parts; one was in a Matlock episode and the other was in a film called "Radioland Murders." (It isn't hard to understand why he didn't last long -- likability counts for a lot in this town.) A frame blow-up from the film reveals a Caggiano who could be Jeff Gannon's fraternal, if not identical, twin.

There's one major difference: Caggiano maintains a full head of hair, while Gannon/Guckert favors the "Mr. Clean" look.

We're safer ascribing this resemblance to coincidence. Still, it's an odd coincidence. The one reporter who (until recently) supported Gannon is a Fox veteran who somehow keeps getting work despite a terrible rep -- and who looks like he could be Gannon's close relative. Very odd indeed!