The invaluable Mary Katharine Ham takes note of this item from that right-wing Republican periodical Newsweek, concerning the phony “Kill him” story:
During a heated moment in his final presidential debate with Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama noted the anger of some supporters at rallies for McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “All the public reports suggested,” Obama said, that people shouted “things like ‘terrorist’ and ‘kill him’.” Making a death threat against a presidential candidate can be a crime. But even before Obama cited “reports” of the threats at the debate, the U.S. Secret Service had told media outlets, including NEWSWEEK, that it was unable to corroborate accounts of the “kill him” remarks—and according to a law-enforcement official, who asked for anonymity when discussing a political matter, the Obama campaign knew as much. Now some officials are disgruntled that Obama gave added credence to the threat by mentioning it in front of 60 million viewers. At this point in the campaign, said one, candidates will “say anything to make a particular point.”
So Slick Barry wasn’t just careless about vetting an inflammatory accusation – he lied. Will he apologize? As soon as Bill Ayers does.
Further on, Newsweek quotes a sanctimonious Obama campaign aide: “[T]he tone of the rhetoric at McCain-Palin campaign events has gotten out of hand.” Psychologists call that “projection”.
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