I am not a lawyer, but it sounds like Right wing radio host Melanie Morgan, Faux Noise Channel, Virginia Buckingham (Boston Herald) and the rest of the GOP smear machine may be on the hook for libel regarding the repeating of the now-discredited trio of lies that Senator Obama is a muslim who attended a madrassa. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know where the original source was, the wingbats linked it to Senator Clinton's presidential campaign
I did graduate from journalism school and I have worked in the MSM so I know a little about libel law. IMHO after the CNN report discredited the original unsourced story, Morgan et al. continually repeated it. Moreover, Morgan added a new twist as she claims the material was leaked by the opposition research teams of BOTH Senator Clinton and that of John Edwards.
My point is that Morgan et al committed "actual malice" in repeating a lie. The original story was flimsy at best, but it was presented in a reckless and sloppy matter with virtually no reporting. The subsequent debunking by CNN and the ensuing name calling by Faux Noise underscores just how sloppy the original reportage was.
Although the standard of proving libel for a full-time public figure like Senators Obama Clinton and Edwards is much higher than it is for a private citizen it is not insurmoutable. Carol Burnett won a major libel victory against the National Enquirer and vortex public figure Richard Jewell successfully sued the Atlanta Constitution and other MSM outlets regarding their insulting and defamatory coverage of Mr. Jewell's role concerning the bombing of the 1996 Olympics by a bona fide American terrorist Eric Rudolph.
It would be nice if Obama, Clinton, and Edwards decided to sue, but that is unlikely given their status as candidates for the Democratic nomination in 08. Nonetheless, it is imperative to hold the Wingbats accountable for their scurilous and actionable comments about anyone who doesn't share their warped view of the world.