LET'S GET GOSS: As speculation swirls about why Porter Goss lost his job as CIA head, here comes a fairly vicious story with a compelling lead:

WASHINGTON - CIA Director Porter Goss abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he and a top aide may have attended Watergate poker parties where bribes and prostitutes were provided to a corrupt congressman.

Note the wiggle room: "may have attended." Followed by low grade innuendo: "Intelligence and law enforcement sources said solid evidence had yet to emerge that Goss also went to the parties, but Goss and Foggo share a fondness for poker and expensive cigars, and the FBI investigation was continuing" (italics added). A Bush hater named Larry Johnson adds: "[I]t's my understanding that Porter Goss was also there [at Wilkes' parties] for poker. It's going to be guilt by association." Maybe the charges will turn out to be true — then again, maybe not. Here's a novel idea: What if reporters actually investigated the charges first, and then, if warranted, wrote a story based on facts, defined as: those old-fashioned species of allegations based on corroboration. As opposed to writing stories where obviously biased sources proudly declare that "guilt by association" is as good as they're got. This kind of slop-bucket journalism makes all too clear why so many good people refuse to enter public life.