Fight The Smears is Sloppy
The Obama campaign’s Fight The Smears is a great idea for pushing back against rumors, but it’s predicated on being accurate. The Chicago Sun-Times reports it’s wrong about Rush Limbaugh and the Michelle Obama video hoax:
News item: Barack Obama campaign starts new Web site to fight smears from political opponents at www.fightthesmears.com.
The first smear mentioned:
“LIE: Rush Limbaugh says a tape exists of Michelle Obama using the word ‘whitey’ from the pulpit of Trinity United.”
Well. No. This is what Limbaugh said:
“The rumor is — and we don’t like dealing with rumors here — but the rumor is that Michelle Obama from the pulpit of this church used the term ‘whitey.’ Some are saying be very careful with this because she might have said ‘why’d he,’ why did he, the contraction ‘why’d he’ instead of ‘whitey.’ ”
He added: “I can’t find anybody who’s seen it.”
So while Limbaugh was happy to wallow in the rumor, he was careful not to claim the tape exists.
Actually the site has conflicting information. If you go to fightthesmears.com you get the text the Sun-Times reports. But when you click on the smear’s details you get the more accurate version (emphasis mine):
On May 30th, Rush Limbaugh said he had heard a rumor that a tape exists of Michelle Obama using the word “Whitey” from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ.
Those details never made the main page. That’s just sloppy.
“Is Obama smearing Rush?” [via NRO's Media Blog]
It is a real stinker! The site also blew the Larry Johnson details.
So, Obama is prepared to fight with lies to prove his point. Unfortunately, it could work. Happens all the time.