Ghost of Gannon

Terry Krepel of ConWebWatch and Media Matters for America has helpfully e-mailed me with the identity of the guy who winged a pro-Rove softball at Scott McClellan in the middle of yesterday's otherwise hostile press briefing.

It was not, as I had surmised, Jeff Gannon disguised as Dino Ironbody. It was Les Kinsolving, a radio host and professional WorldNetDaily wingnut whose exploits have been extensively covered here and here. ConWebWatch says he was "Jeff Gannon before there was a Jeff Gannon."

Except he's a lovable old coot instead of a creepy sweaty closeted bald gay prostitute. According to his bio, he's "the nation's only talk show host who is also a White House correspondent, as well as a movie actor"--walk-on roles in Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, which means he must be into Civil War re-enacting (Confederate, naturally). He's a grandfather, and his wife Sylvia is the "former queen of her graduating class at the University of California in Berkeley." And she's a Democrat! How can you not love these nice old people? I smell sitcom.

There are shades of Gannon, though, in Kinsolver's bio: During his 14 years in the Episcopalian ministry, he was known to occasionally serve as a rector.