McClatchy has a terrific article out that attempts to find a source for all the Obama smears that have been making the rounds since Barack announced his candidacy for President. Mainly the false assertions that he is a Muslim, attended a Madrassa and that he took his oath of office on the Quran. These "rumors" have long since been debunked, but they continue to pop up in voters responses as to why they won't vote for Obama.
WASHINGTON — Some things about Barack Obama rub some voters the wrong way.
"We don't need a Muslim," said Jannay Smith, a retiree from Kokomo, Ind. "Who's to say if he gets in there what he'll do?"
Added Steve Shallenberger, a Kokomo electrician: "He's just calling himself a Christian because he knows that's what we in Indiana want to hear."
Then there's Sherry Richey, also from Kokomo: "He wouldn't put his hand on the Bible; he wanted the Quran. He won't put his hand over his heart during the anthem or say the Pledge of Allegiance. He's too un-American."
All of these slurs on Obama are categorically untrue.
The original source of the smear was never found, but most believed it started with opposition research done by the Clinton Campaign or a conservative blog. Media Matters has a detailed timeline of how the "Madrassa School" smear was started and how it filtered in through the media starting on January 9th and continuing through until January 29th ending with this:
Twelve days after the InsightMag.com story was posted, and one week after it was first debunked by CNN, Fox News political analyst Dick Morris continued to speculate on the story's origin. Appearing on the January 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Morris said: "I believe that that Insight magazine story that was inaccurate, that he went to a Muslim school, was indeed planted, as Insight magazine said, by somebody close to the Clinton war room." Co-host Alan Colmes asked Morris whether that statement was also "a smear against the Clintons." Morris replied: "No, it's an accurate description of their tactics."
But the actual origins of the smear were never unearthed and the majority of us have moved on. But McClatchy seems to be pointing the finger at someone but never actually says his name. Here is the description:
In fact, they tend to be the work of committed political amateurs.
One practitioner in Virginia, who hates Obama like a dog hates cats, led a reporter through his efforts. Because the man is a retired clandestine CIA officer, identifying him could endanger officers or operations that remain classified, so McClatchy will not reveal his name.
Who do we know that's a retired CIA officer and "hates Obama like a dog hates cats"? Could it be Larry Johnson?
Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson works with US military commands in scripting terrorism exercises, briefs foreign governments on a regular basis on terrorist trends, and conducts undercover investigations on product counterfeiting and smuggling.
Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management.
Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on
The similarities are glaring. Just take a look at his posts at Huffington Post and his own Blog, No Quarter. He absolutely LOATHES Obama.
Why is Obama in Bed with Karl Rove?
Apparently his hatred of Obama started way back in 2006 and he tried to dig up as much dirt as possible:
n late 2006, convinced that an Obama presidency would be disastrous for America, he decided to start an anti-Obama operation. He combed the public record on Obama. He used a couple of allies and informants — half-jokingly dubbing his group "The Crusaders" — to learn about Obama's background, especially his Africa connection and how he came to be the editor of the Harvard Law Review.
He assembled a dossier on Obama, including allegations that Obama attended a madrassa, or Islamic religious school, in his youth in Indonesia.
Then the retired spook tried to get Israeli intelligence officials interested in his Obama dossier. They weren't, to his chagrin. He also shopped it to some foreign reporters. Again, no luck.
I find it hard to reconcile the Larry Johnson of today with the one from yesterday that was so outspoken about the Bush Administration's Iraq fiasco. I don't know if it's racism, or an intense loyalty to Hillary Clinton that's made him jump the shark so vociferously, but it is really sad to see. So, do you think the article is referencing Johnson?