John McCain, Florida, Gay Prostitution, $20 – Just Read the Post

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Can John McCain get a break? Hot on the heels of the loss of his top campaign management, the resignation of key Iowa team members, and news that the campaign will actually report a debt in the next few days, we’ve got…. a gay prostitution scandal. What’s next? Locusts in campaign HQ?

Florida State Represenative Bob Allen, co-chair of McCain’s Florida campaign, has been arrested for offering an undercover male police officer $20 in exchange for a blowjob in a public bathroom.

The detail you’re dying to know (I’m sure) isn’t clear. This Orlando Sentinel story says Allen was arrested for “offering to perform a sex act”. But TV reports out of Florida say Allen was to have the sex act performed on him. It was to sort out details like this that I got into journalism.

And is there an element of hypocrisy here? Of course, there’s more than enough to go around these days. Allen recently introduced HB 1475 into the Florida state legislature, a bill called “Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition” that lays a mightier smackdown on offenders of Allen’s stripe. (Question: Was he doing research?) And the Rainbow Democratic Club, a central Florida gay rights group, recently identified Allen as one of the region’s most hostile legislators towards gays. (Opposition research, then?)

We all know what’s at the bottom of this scandal. Gay sweaters.

Update: Big question answered.

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