Like a modern day Walter Winchell, though the Whitehouse would like you to see him more like a Paul Winchell; Matt Drudge has taken first the Internet, then Washington D.C. and now cable television by storm. Though Drudge often offers the first philanderer a healthy dose of publicity, is it usually always bad. You know, sometimes I think Bill Clinton gets some sort of sick " Kenndey-esque " satisfaction over the release of the details of his sleazy sex life, but reports of alleged land deal frauds and quid pro quos for campaign cash, are quite another story. Matt is truely the common man's columnist!

The President mentioned " The Drudge Report " specifically in his August 1998 Grand Jury testimony ( testilying, actually ). Drudge's website consists of a homepage with links to just about every information, opinion or editorial oriented news source available on the internet, as well as his own personal column(s) that changes semi-daily. I frequently read his column, and have found it to be quite informative, being reliable and truthful! Some may consider it muck-raking, but if you don't rake the muck quite often, it really begins to pile up!

I believe Matt got his first live media exposure on the Glendale based radio station KIEV ( AM 870 in the greater Los Angeles area and now in syndication ). He was a caller to the George Putnam and Ray Briem talk radio shows and he never pulled his punches. His " tell it like it is " style has gotten him in trouble with Sidney Blumenthall, I believe; but also landed him a cable television show on the Fox network. I heard he now has a live radio show broadcast in New York City, but I haven't had a chance to hear any of it yet.

Like a new-wave Walter Winchell, including the slouch hat, he has the guts to release seedy information to the world, via his personal computer and an Internet website. He scooped many a mainstream media outlet on a number of issues from Whitewater to Willey! You gotta' just love the chutzpah of this guy. The only other guy with this kind of guts or gall resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and refuses to leave when he has worn out his welcome!

Now the cable ready television audience gets a half of an hour of Matt Drudge and his guest(s) weekly ( or a full hour if you watch it twice ), as he has his own show called, you guessed it, " The Drudge Report ". In my area, his show fittingly airs just before " The McLaughlin Group ". I like to think of it as " the muck " and then " the schmucks " ( it is sort of hard to put your finger on an adjective which adequately describes ' Bill-Clinton-uber-alles-DNC-forever ' defender Eleanor Clift - don't smell it afterwards! )?

Matt Drudge does a terrific job at getting a tough message out to the public. Personally, I believe he and his ilk are the truely politically correct, as they refuse to hide their heads in the sand just because something needed to be reported may be unseemly or there may be a personal price to pay for reporting it. I wish there were more politicians in Washington D.C. with this degree of spinal rigidity.

Heavy applause for Mr. Matt Drudge!

- Bongo ( While digging up dirt, it eventually gets under your fingernails. )