Like most Washington media types, he loudly proclaimed the exercise an orgy of back-scratching and hors d'oeuvre munching; nothing more than a chance to dress up and exchange trivia. When not officially invited for press coverage, media people publicly criticized these events, as if the act of putting them down was, in itself, a badge of superiority. Privately, they thirsted for invitations, knowing that they provided easy social access to people who wielded power. For that reason, Jason knew that the party circuit would be the principal channel of accessibility to the types he wanted to cast in his sexual extravaganza. The cocktail and buffet arena was a cornucopia of potential victims. What good was fame or success if you couldn't receive the plaudits of your peers? Egos required stroking. Power as a rule was so splintered that even those who exercised it needed the validation of their fellows to appreciate the joys of having a piece of it. Since he was not on any favored lists, he had to pursue a program of research that would give him the access he needed.
