Newsweek exposes swiftboating of Obama

We often slam the MSM for not exposing bullshit and lies during election campaigns, and rightfully so. However fair is fair and I think that we should also give them an "attaboy" when they get it right and are proactive in exposing dirty campaigning.
In a recent on-line article Newsweek has debunked some of the more vicious rumors that the wingnuts are spreading via email about the Senator from Illinois.

In the article Sliming Obama, Jess Henig and Emi Kolawole expose chain emails making libelous accusations as totally false. Even better, the debunking is at the top of the article and not hidden in the last paragraph. The first line of the article summatizes the situation perfectly:

Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false.

The only complaint I have is that it is only an on-line article and not in their print edition.
Kudos also go out to MSNBC for linking to it from their politics front page.

•  Tips

  by MikePhoenix on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 04:57:53 PM PDT

  •  Tipped absolutely

    And Rec'd. I will bookmark this article for future use.

    by turneresq on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:13:49 PM PDT

•  This is a diary?

  by dgone36 on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:00:21 PM PDT

  •  yeah...

    Looks like a diary to me. It's sight over there in the "Diary" section.
    4 + paragraphs, has a point other then just linking a story.
    yup, looks good. Mmmm Hmmm.

    by phillyPete on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:08:37 PM PDT

    •  Cmon, your REAL issue with the diary...

      The bigger point, other than the link itself, is that there are now more gunners and more ammo in the needed effort to debunk what are patently false and deplorable smears against Obama.

      Then again, perhaps you'd prefer we all just shut up, and let these things continue unchallenged.

      Just be honest, your real issue here is that there's good news for someone who probably isn't your chosen candidate.

      Not fooling anyone, but thanks for playing.

      by Ericwmr on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:47:52 PM PDT

  •  Are you serious?

    by turneresq on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:12:43 PM PDT

    •  Sadly, I think (s)he is. Sigh. NT

      by JedReport on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:38:53 PM PDT

  •  Diaries don't have to be dissertations.

    Short, sweet and to the point about a minor news bit.  The item doesn't need any exhaustive analysis.

    Chill.

    by MTmofo on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:15:08 PM PDT

    •  Personally, I've written worse diaries.

      I won't link to them to prove it though.

      :)

      by JedReport on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:41:03 PM PDT

    •  this is avery common defense

      when someone is afraid of the content of the diary.

      by tony the American Mutt on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:44:57 PM PDT

      •  Exactly!

        Good news for someone who might not be your first choice just shouldn't be put out there.

        by Ericwmr on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:49:40 PM PDT

        •  Actually, Obama isn't my first choice, but

          I do like him a lot and do not want to see his candidacy torpedoed by neo-fascist slime merchants.
          Thanks for the support, folks.

          by MikePhoenix on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 06:53:52 PM PDT

  •  Compared to most of today's crap that I made

    the mistake of reading, it's a magnum opus.

    by mr crabby on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:20:28 PM PDT

•  and now get ready for the swiftboating of

  Newsweek from people around here.

  I can't believe that the big boy bloggers have not come out on all this racist crap.

  The silence is deafening.

  by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:02:36 PM PDT

  •  Yeah

    If it runs counter to their candidate, then they'll blame the EmmEssEmm.

    by SonicT on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:38:18 PM PDT

•  Attaboy Newsweek & MSNBC

  good for them (and us)! Amazing, truth being spread from the news... too bad we don't see that more often.

  by GoracleFan on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:05:17 PM PDT

•  Oh Thank God

  I felt the brunt of this on Obama's campaign.  I know it's a mud fight.  But thank god others see it that way.

  Let's get past the smears.  Some people just think you would make a better president, the fiercer and bitter your battle to win is.

  I disagree.  I think the country is more imporant.  And how we can govern "by the people" again.  See the Hillary comments that have everybody talking:

  .MLK

  That's what wrong with this Hillary video and what this discussion is really about...whether the people (black or white ) can change the country or whether the president does.  It's suppose to be about us, not her.

  by CupofTea on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:07:27 PM PDT

  •  so without any evidence of any kind

    just your 'feeling' (BTW that kind of 'feeling' of being threatened simply by someone's mere presence lead to lots of lynchings, and puts lots of innocent people in jail or death row today. think about it) that Hillary is the only EVIL person in the world so all these emails are her fault?

    by tony the American Mutt on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:49:55 PM PDT

•  The one thing I wish they, or anyone, would

  do is to try to trace the origins of these emails, to see if its an organized group or just a bunch of individual crackpots, though at this point that may be an impossible task.

  by mr crabby on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:41:47 PM PDT

  •  thing is it probably is impossible

    at this point. no telling how many accounts it has passed through. it sure sounds like some of the crap the KKK or Ron Paul would put out.

    by tony the American Mutt on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:46:56 PM PDT

    •  Won't get to all of them...

      Some of these people won't be reached, but this is at least a great article to attach as RE: every time one of us gets this crap in our email box.

      by Ericwmr on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:51:10 PM PDT

      •  yep, need to keep it in perspective.

        by tony the American Mutt on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:53:36 PM PDT

•  An excellent diary.

  This is a great article, and kudos to Newsweek for actually saying the rumors are false, instead of the Washington Post which just mentioned the rumors, in effect carrying the slime further.

  by bethcf4p on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:48:40 PM PDT

•  Believe it or not, these emails are effective

  People who should know better have quoted from them to me.  They quoted them to the wrong guy because they got an earful of correction about Obama, but it's alarming that anyone falls for them.  Spam works on a few or it wouldn't exist.  A Nigerian prince has a $50,000 check he'd like you to help him cash.  Jeeezus.

  by deben on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 05:56:07 PM PDT

  •  Remember the P.T. Barnum theorem:

    There's a sucker born every minute.
    Funny you should mention e-mail scam artists, I jsut got one today supposedly from Iraq.

    by MikePhoenix on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 07:05:18 PM PDT

  •  I say save the articles to word files...

    ..and start replying to every single one of these messages with those articles. I'm on the email list of a friend's winger Mom, and she doesn't mask her list....I guarantee everyone in that loop gets a copy of these articles next time one of those Barack pieces comes around.

    by Ericwmr on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 07:17:11 PM PDT

  •  not that I may influence many if any, but still..

    ...on principle.

    by Ericwmr on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 07:18:52 PM PDT

•  Good diary

  Must point out these things because they aren't ' imagined'.

  by rikyrah on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 06:04:48 PM PDT