First of all, this is an information diary. I am simply conveying reported information from other Web sites about a matter of interest in the campaign.
As most people in the blogosphere know by now, there is allegedly a tape of Michelle Obama ranting about white people at Trinity Church. According to Larry Johnson of No Quarter, pro-GOP 527 groups are planning to use excerpts from the tape in anti-Obama ads during the fall.
Personally, I am very skeptical about the existence of this tape. It is not publicly available. No one who has allegedly seen it has been willing to discuss it on the record. Until I see it or read an account by a reputable person who has, I do not lend credence to its existence.
That said, these are the claimed facts of the tape, when it was made, and what it apparently shows.
From Hillbuzz by way of No Quarter:
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/04/breaking-news-from-hillbuzz/#more-2922
The Michelle Obama Rant Tape was filmed between June 26th - July 1st 2004 in Chicago, IL at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference at Trinity United Church: specifically the Women’s Event.
Michelle Obama appeared as a panelist alongside Mrs. Khadijah Farrakhan and Mrs. James Meeks.
Bill Clinton spoke during the Conference, as did Bill Cosby and other speakers, but not at the panel Michelle attended.
Michelle Obama spoke at the Women’s Event, but referenced Bill Clinton in her rant — his presence at the conference was the impetus for her raving, it seems.
For about 30 minutes, Michelle Obama launched into a rant about the evils of America, and how America is to blame for the problems of Africa. Michelle personally blamed President Clinton for the deaths of millions of Africans and said America is responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis and other ethnic groups. She then launched into an attack on "whitey", and talked about solutions to black on black crime in the realm of diverting those actions onto white America. Her rant was fueled by the crowd: they reacted strongly to what she said, so she got more passionate and enraged, and that’s when she completely loses it and says things that have made the mouths drop of everyone who’s seen this.
The "tape" is a DVD that Trinity United sold on its website, and possibly offered free for download up until March 2008 when Trinity’s site was scrubbed and the DVDs were no longer offered for sale.
This outburst happened just one month before the 2004 Democratic Convention, when Barack Obama delivered the keynote address.
For those curious about the scuttlebutt, this is apparently what's coming down the pike. However, please withhold judgment until you see for yourself. This diary is just a heads-up.