Black Box Report

How do you know you're the Democratic frontrunner? When the rightwing noise machine starts throwing heaping handfuls of vile, foul-smelling mud exclusively in your direction. For Barack Obama, it started this weekend on Real Time with Bill Maher, with congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA):

Kingston tells us that Obama refuses to say the Pledge Of Allegiance, citing the "famous picture" of Obama not saluting the flag. This rumor originated in an anonymous e-mail and has since been debunked repeatedly by the mainstream media. The truth is that the photo is actually of Obama singing the Star Spangled Banner. It's sad to see any elected official still parroting the lies in that now-notorious chain e-mail.

The Associated Press then took the "Obama's patriotism questioned" story mainstream, leading off the expert opinions with that of noted Republican sleazeball Roger Stone (last seen harassing Eliot Spitzer's elderly father) who, surprisingly, thinks Obama is not very patriotic. While Nedra Pickler does take the time, a few paragraphs later, to note that these stories amount to a "Swift Boat campaign" and a "shadowy smear campaign based on the Internet," she closes this door long after the horse has left the barn. By perpetuating the smears, she is actually contributing to them.

And then it's off to the races with a little smear synergy. Take the Obama's patriotism angle, and add in a little alarmist bigotry...

Over at Islamica magazine, they are acknowledging what the few of us fighting the great fight have been saying all along. Hussein Obama is Islam's candidate. They call it a wink and a nod but shhhhhh don't let on to the fat, lazy infidels.

Expect the fantasy mongerers in the mainstream media to continue to scrub and whitewash (no pun) Hussein Obama's Islamic bonafides.

...and voila!

From there, Matt Drudge posted this photo of Obamain traditional Kenyan garb, and conservative blogs who see turban and think "terrorist!" shouted out a collective A-HA! Now, it matters little (at least to this conversation) if the image came from Clinton staffers or not (although it should). It's not the first time a rightwing talking point has been used against Obama, and it definitely won't be the last. To his credit, Right Wing Nut House blogger Rick Moran is suitably ashamed:

It embarrasses me to no end to see fellow conservatives who actually believe that Barack Obama is some kind of "Manchurian Candidate" sent by Muslims to undermine American society...To some of my unschooled, ignorant conservative friends, this (photo) is further proof that if we elect Obama president, there will be a department of Sharia Affairs.

Finally, CNN put the icing on the cake:

The poll has since been deactivated, but it doesn't really matter.
Obama-won't-say-Pledge-of-Allegiance-wear-a-flag-lapel-pin-he's-a-scary-Muslim is now officially part of the campaign narrative:

That's how it works. Starts at right-swing smear sites and hoax emails. Then the AP's Nedra Pickler, who specializes in scooping up this slop and laundering it into the mainstream press, writes it up for the AP that runs across the country. And then picks it up and makes it a regular part of the campaign conversation.

I doubt some top exec at CNN came up with this or any name anchor. It's some producer in the bowels of the operation. But it amounts to the same thing because it's part of the culture and there's no accountability.

Get ready for more.

Can't get him on issues? Attack his patriotism. It's like Karl Rove never retired.