Salacious

Far be it from me to assert that Andrew Sullivan's gaydar is malfunctioning, but -- as many of you know -- he has alleged that Fred Thompson is homosexual. Wonkette claims to have heard similar rumors.

Uhhhh...no.

Once again, I take the liberty of showing you Fred's former girlfriend, Lorrie Morgan, and his current wife, Jeri. What I'm about to say may strike some people as boorish, but I don't care: Women who look like that have better things to do than to provide a closeted gay guy with the illusion of heterosexuality -- especially when the ladies in question are independently successful, as these two are.

On a more serious note: As many of you know, the "DC Madam," Jeane Palfrey, is releasing the phone records of her clients, thanks to the lifting of an injunction. I wrote about the matter for BradBlog, and should soon address the topic in that forum once more.

Please understand that these are phone numbers, not names. Palfrey herself usually had little or no idea as to the identities of her clients. Rumor holds that Dick Cheney is on the list -- but so far, no public facts back that rumor. That story, which David Letterman publicized, appears to trace back to Wayne Madsen, whose reputation is, shall we say, a bit iffy.

Madsen has privately assured me that he has top sources -- in the CIA and elsewhere -- for this assertion. We shall see.

Attaching names to those numbers will require detective work, especially since the list goes back more than a decade. If neither Brad nor I can manage the trick, someone else will. Rest assured: The job will be done.

I personally have no interest in any "Charlie Nobody" types who have used Pamela Martin & Associates. The same probably holds true for any other blogger who receives the data. So if you are a former client of that escort agency -- and if you have never held a Cheney-esque position of governmental responsibility -- you are in no danger of public exposure.

At least not from me.

Some have wondered if the list might have been "scrubbed." As I understand it, we are talking about the hard copy records one receives from the telephone company.

Personally, I don't care what men and women do sexually, a long as all parties consent and are of age. Handcuffs, blindfolds, deerskin floggers, exacto blades, Dave's Insanity Sauce -- hey, whatever gets you through the weekend is fine by me.

But people with access to classified information should understand the potential for blackmail. Randall Tobias, one of Palfrey's few known clients, was the head of the Agency for International Development, which provides cover for CIA agents around the world. With a little imagination, once can see the potential for a "Plame-times-20" scenario.

Palfrey had no way of checking the backgrounds of her women. A lady working in an illegal profession is open to pressure and manipulation.

The real question, as I see it, is this: Why did the Feds target Deborah Jeane Palfrey? Sexually speaking, D.C. does not resemble a small town in Utah. There are other escort agencies, and they advertise openly.