The Dangers of Copying and Pasting: Fox Newser Tweets Hooker Website (<em>Updated Pics!</em>)

The problem with condensed Twitter URLs: You can't see where they go. White House correspondent Major Garrett tweeted a URL last night, and it went to a Vegas call girl website. Vegas, where some White House folks go next month.

[The new pic of Garrett overwhelmed by technology is from his Facebook page, sent in by a tipster and was just too good to pass up. Below, just for fun, the Fox Newsman posing with some lovelies including Carrie Prejean.]

In the run-up to the State of the Union address, Garrett offered Twitter followers a link to SOTU excerpts, but the condensed URL sent them to ForWant.com's classified ads for erotic services in Las Vegas, instead.

"To overcome the numbing weight of our politics" and other Obama SOTU excerpts http://bit.ly/d6W Wed 27 Jan 18:22

Horrified, he deleted and explained:

I apologize. Bit.ly turned my original link to SOTU excerpts to a soft-porn link. NOT my intention. http://bit.ly/d6WZBu Wed 27 Jan 19:21

The link just posted works. Any frequent visitor here knows that is not my style. Sorry. Shld have caught it sooner. Wed 27 Jan 19:23

Enraged, he admonished and ordered:

For those suckling snide syrup. I publicly acknowledged an innocent mistake and corrected it. If that's not good enuf, take a hike. Wed 27 Jan 20:18

It all sounds like a terrible coincidence. But sometimes lighting does strike twice. In addition to Garrett's inadvertent interest in Vegas entertainment, Garrett recently used Twitter to break the news that Obama will visit Las Vegas in February to stump for Harry Reid. Lightning would strike thrice if Garrett goes to Vegas with Obama, and if he's planning that trip right now. So if you hear the phrase "Major Garrett, reporting from Las Vegas" any time soon, let this be the lesson: Always check your bit.ly's before you tweet them. Check twice.