Update on White House Blacklist

You know, I can just vaguely recall when the press cared when the White House had an enemies list. But that was another time, another country.

So here's the latest on the Fargo do-not-admit list. The official white house position is that it was all a mistake, by a volunteer, but no one knows who it was, and there has been a policy decision taken that it will not be possible to find out.

I kid you not.

· IN-FORUM ·: “It was the result of an overzealous volunteer,” said White House spokesman Jim Morrell of the list. “We weren't aware of it here at the White House.”

Republican Party officials and Morrell said they do not know the identity of the volunteer.

“I don't know if we'd ever be able to find out what overzealous volunteer it is or anything like that,” said Jason Stverak, executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party. “We'll talk to people and stuff, but it will be impossible.”

Got that folks back home? Be sure to keep your mouths shut tight.

If there were Democratic talk radio, it could milk this for weeks — I imagine live callups of various people associated with the event, asking them if they saw the list, who gave it to them, etc. etc. Plus calling on various White House officials to repudiate the practice, to make promises that future events will be open, to describe how tickets are made available.

Indeed, it's not just a partisan opportunity: A real press would be all over this at least prospectively for the next events, looking at how tickets are distributed.

It's not just the wench that's dead.