Gannon a 'phony' (Ohio Dem says Gannon 'Twisted' words to intemidate) [View All]

Gannon a 'phony,' Kaptur says
Ex-White House reporter spotlighted her 'bin Laden' remark
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By STEVE EDER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
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Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) believes the man who helped thrust her remarks two years ago comparing Osama bin Laden to American revolutionaries into national prominence is nothing more than a "double-agent" and a "phony plant."

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Miss Kaptur, though, believes there's more to the story, and she's joining calls by fellow Democrats for an investigation into Mr. Gannon's relationship with the White House. She said political opponents - including Mr. Gannon - "twisted" her words published in The Blade in 2003 as part of a well-orchestrated scheme to intimidate her.

"It lit the fuse for the entire network of Bush propagandists around the country and their media affiliates to commit a backlash based on a lie," said Miss Kaptur, who later apologized to those offended, saying she meant to draw an analogy between the motivating forces behind rebellions. "They twisted it and turned it into something I never said."

In a March 1, 2003, article in The Blade, Miss Kaptur explained that revolutionaries used religious passions to "cast off monarchical Britain" with help from the groups like the Green Mountain Boys, a militia organized in Bennington, Vt., in 1770. She continued, "One could say that Osama bin Laden and these non-nation-state fighters with religious purpose are very similar to those kind of atypical revolutionaries that helped cast off the British crown."

Her words quickly became fodder for talk radio hosts. She was criticized from all sides, including opponents like Lucas County Auditor Larry Kaczala, her challenger in last year's congressional race, who called for her resignation. As the storm began to settle in the political media, Mr. Gannon brought the comments up during the White House press briefings on consecutive days - on March 10 and March 11, 2003. Responding to Mr. Gannon, Mr. Fleischer characterized the remarks as "reprehensible," saying he knew of "no basis for anybody to have said that or believe in it.