Hoax

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Well, for everyone who had eyes to see, this thing stunk to high heaven. But now we have official word that that McCain volunteer who had the straight-out-of- the-trash-novel story about being assaulted by a mugger-cum-Obama-activist has confessed that the whole thing was a hoax. It is the classic story that is so perfect for certain malevolent actors that if it hadn’t happened they’d have to make it up. As indeed they did.

To say this is a dark moment does not do justice to the deep awfulness of this stunt. It’s the metaphoric pedal-to-the-metal for the sleazy sub-rosa campaign of racial fear-mongering that so far has failed to derail Obama’s candidacy.

There are many questions to be asked about who pushed this story yesterday afternoon and last night. A lot of explaining.

Latest Editors' Blog
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: