By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
In less than 24 hours, Ashley Todd has gone from being featured on the Drudge Report and conservative talk radio -- the John McCain supporter robbed and then branded with a 'B' on her face in Pittsburgh -- to a sad person who now admits she made up that appalling story.
Now the Drudge Report, which ballyhooed the original story on Thursday, has to admit in bold headlines "She made it up!"
The fallout?
The "liberal media" didn't create this story and didn't really knock it down, either. The Pittsburgh police did their job, checking out inconsistencies in her story.
The conservatives, however, saw an opening to blast Barack Obama and his supporters. They blew it up into a big deal, essentially insinuating that an Obama supporter had branded Todd.
But the story blew up in the face of McCain's backers and conservative talk radio hosts.
So what now?
McCain and Sarah Palin already had expressed concern to the woman's relatives. So had Obama.
They did the right thing. They don't have much to apologize for.
At least McCain and Palin didn't start using Ashley Todd in all their speeches, as they did with Joe the Plumber, before Todd's story could be vetted.
In this case, the story turned out to be untrue, a sad accusation from a twisted mind.








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America Faces Major Problems in the Immediate Future
We have Major Problems Desecnding on Amercia and It's Time the Democrats faced those probelms.
Now we have the news that Obama, from his United States Senate office has been helping to coordinate and advise the political career and the December 2007 campaign of his Kenyan cousin and fellow Luo tribe member the Marxist Odinga, in Odinga’s bid for the presidency of Kenya.
Doesn't sound too terribly bad (except for the Marxism, dreams of Obama’s father), except that Obama advised Odinga about how to instigate tribal hatred and violence to advance his campaign (the African version of ACORN agitation and class warfare, which I am sure if you are familiar with Obama’s own political history of course sounds very familiar, I have never seen America so angry and agitated as we are today.)
And when Odinga made a deal with radical Muslims that if elected he would allow Sharia Law (we all remember Burkas and woman being whipped and hung in soccer fields for attending school), Obama accepted the political expediency of his decision (sound familiar?) and willingly continued to advise his campaign.
And when Odinga lost the election, Odinga incited his tribesmen to go on a killing spree which they did, killing and burning Christian women and children alive in their churches, as well as thousand of others.
An American citizen, a United States Senator, a candidate for our most important office, encouraging the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a Marxist. This is unacceptable.
No Left Wingers in Our Presidency
And just when I thought I had heard it all (ACORN, Daley, ‘mo money Jones, Ayers, Wright, Rezko, Soros, Nadhmi Auchi, Khalid Monsour, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, etc. etc., if you love America, and I do, the whole thing makes you ill ).
Now we have the news that Obama, from his United States Senate office has been helping to coordinate and advise the political career and the December 2007 campaign of his Kenyan cousin and fellow Luo tribe member the Marxist Odinga, in Odinga’s bid for the presidency of Kenya.
Doesn't sound too terribly bad (except for the Marxism, dreams of Obama’s father), except that Obama advised Odinga about how to instigate tribal hatred and violence to advance his campaign (the African version of ACORN agitation and class warfare, which I am sure if you are familiar with Obama’s own political history of course sounds very familiar, I have never seen America so angry and agitated as we are today.)
And when Odinga made a deal with radical Muslims that if elected he would allow Sharia Law (we all remember Burkas and woman being whipped and hung in soccer fields for attending school), Obama accepted the political expediency of his decision (sound familiar?) and willingly continued to advise his campaign.
And when Odinga lost the election, Odinga incited his tribesmen to go on a killing spree which they did, killing and burning Christian women and children alive in their churches, as well as thousand of others.
An American citizen, a United States Senator, a candidate for our most important office, encouraging the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a Marxist. This is unacceptable.
David Frum is left winged? Really?
joinamerica,
David Frum is a neoconservative and President Bush's former speech writer, though I disagree with him on almost every political stance he's correct that John McCain exhibited poor judgment by choosing Sarah Palin. She may appeal to people like yourself who are the GOP's conservative base but she is off putting on so many levels to MOST Americans.
I hope you go out and enjoy the rest of your day as I am planning on doing!
Enough Articles From Left Wing Columnists
Barack Obama is outspending McCain 4 to 1. And Obama has the entire news industry print, radio and television not only rooting for him but suppressing any dissent, over reporting news of every crisis, suppressing any good news, putting out biased articles that accurately reflect the 91% of reporters who are liberal.
Americans are being pummeled 24/7 with Barack Obama.
And yet, Obama has not closed the deal. In fact his lead is slipping again in several major conglomerate polls (I’d better not say that too loudly or we will suddenly have another manufactured crisis to help him win.)
Because America, with no microphone of its own save a few talk radio shows (which Obama and Pelosi would quickly outlaw) is somehow slowly getting the word out.
Just by word of mouth. And certainly assisted by the staggering amount of information out there about what a wrong guy Barack Obama is.
And for those of you who swallowed hook line and sinker the products of American Schools of Journalism which teaches their students socialism uber alles, here’s the word:
Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, fresh from the Daley political machine, with a scant 144 days of work in the Senate behind him, is a Marxist radical who all his life has been mentored by, sat at the feet of, worshiped with, befriended, endorsed the philosophy of, funded and been in turn funded, politically promoted and supported by a nexus comprising black power anti-white racists, Jew-haters, revolutionary Marxists, unrepentant former terrorists and Chicago mobsters.
And unless you like socialistic totalitarianism, don’t vote for him.
David Frum on John McCain
A must read article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102302081.html?nav=rss_print/outlook
We Have a Far More Serious Problem - Barack Obama
I love this country and I don’t care at all about this poor sick young woman’s actions. As Americans, I am afraid we have a far more serious problem.
Obama's To Do list:
1. Bring the troops home. (Iraq promptly descends into civil war, Iran invades, and oil prices go to $200/bbl.)
2. "Lower taxes for 95% of Americans" (but rescind the Bush Tax Cuts which means everyone actually pays about twice as much in tax. (The economy plunges even deeper into recession.) The deficit increases.
3. Nationalize health care (but don't call it that, of course.) A flood of illegal immigrants come to the US for free world class health care. Everyone that can actually PAY for their health care pays much more. Pelosi calls it a great success. The deficit increases.
4. Implement a "carbon tax". Ignore the fact that even if the US reduced its carbon emissions to ZERO global emissions would still increase. Celebrate the fact the US is “leading the world". Productivity goes negative and stays there. Standards of living fall. The deficit explodes. Congress has great fun figuring out who gets to spend the gigantic revenues from the carbon tax.
The US slips into depression. Obama blames it on Bush.
5. Appoint Supreme Court justices who promise to take the parties’ race into consideration when deciding cases, and select them from the 9th circuit. Affirmative Action hardens into full blown fascism. Congress writes a law to ban private gun ownership. The Supremes agree. Write a federal law to legalize "non-traditional" marriages. The Supremes agree. Polygamous and polyandrous marriages are now legal. (Marry whatever species you want, it’s okay). Write a federal law prohibiting talk radio which will permanently suppress any dissent.
6, Although America has more natural energy resources than all of the Middle Eastern countries put together and the innovative technology to recover that energy in environmentally safe ways, do nothing — absolutely nothing — that will secure a sufficient, terror-proof supply of our economic lifeblood — oil — a resource we'll need much more of in the years ahead. Continue the most massive transfer of wealth in human history to hostile foreign governments.
America ceases to be a world leader in commerce, defense, and freedom. Obama announces that this was inevitable and that we are now good globalists.
7. Unilaterally halt development of any new nuclear weapons (as hostile nations rapidly develop their own nuclear arsenals). Prevent weaponization of space (although hostile nations continue to do so), cut investments in innovative missile defense systems, slow development of future combat systems and continue to publicize the plan, in case Putin and the other international bullies missed it.
Grow up Grinch.
The "liberal" media did not create this story. They did not mention "Joe the Plumber" during the final debate. And they did not select Palin as McCain's running mate.
Calling Yael names and foaming at the mouth does not accomplish anything. It only reinforces the image that some have of Republicans as raging conservative lunatics. The truth is that the McCain campaign has made enormous blunders in judgement by selecting Palin, by using Joe the Plumber, and by not exercising restraint in handling this latest fiasco. Obama responded to the Rev. Wright ruckus with mong other things, an address which is now widely considered to be an epoch-making statement on race realations. McCain has not been able to deal with his own crises besides blaming the "liberal" media.
All you right-wing loons need to stop acting like a bunch of bratty 3-year olds. You're losing - grow up and accept it.
right, Grinch
Sad thing is, Grinch, way too many of the right-wing nuthatches have provided scant evidence to support your theory.
You're one of the poster children. I mean, you're still parroting that tired Ayers thing? Jeez.
You're full of crap, Yael,
You're full of crap, Yael, as usual.
Michelle Malkin called 'BS' as soon as this story hit the news ...
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/23/why-that-mccain-volunteers-mutilation-story-smells-awfully-weird/
Why don't you shut the hell up? You act as if every conservative acts in lockstep, but what you forget is that we actually have functioning brains that are able to think independently, and as proved by Malkin, we simply don't believe everything the media reports to us at face value. Literally, in this case. Any fool could see that the 'B' was written reversed on her face, as if she had done it in a mirror, and there was zero chance it could have been carved in her face with a knife as she claimed - which is why Michelle strongly suspected it was BS.
So what we have here is some twisted woman wanting attention and she happened to be against Obama - are you trying to tell me that this was indicative of McCain supporters? If so, where the hell is your condemnation of Reverend Wright, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, etc, etc ,etc ?
You're a coward, Yael, and you're dishonest. I hope you enjoy the next wave of layoffs your lousy stinking liberal rag is going to undergo.
smog = dumb
Obama's birth certificate checks out:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jun/27/obamas-birth-certificate-part-ii/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html
Moron.
The following site is
The following site is something you won't see on CNN and NBC. When McCain's citizenship became a question he immediately produced necessary documents. Does this mean we won't be having our first Communist president, after all?
http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/10/obama-birth-cerificate-federal-lawsuit-the-curious-behavior-of-the-obama-campaign/
Is the GOP planning on this Democratic, former States Attorney General, handling this without making it public? Have I missed it or did Hannity take a nap on this one.
What?
jenniferm, your example was
Oh well nevermind. At first I thought you were agreeing that the Obama campaign was staying above the petty politics, but you are saying it was sending two messages. I read what you wrote more carefully and I get your point now. And, I agree with you. No candidate is in charge of their entire campaign.
Communications Directors
Campaign's push stuff to the news media all the time--remember how Obama's guy said Clinton's RFK comment was no big deal and didn't mean anything, yet a press release goes out to media outlets at the same time saying how evil she is. Then there was the four-page memo around the SC primary telling everyone how to push the racist angle with the Clintons (fairy tale, JJ winning SC). Of course when confronted, Obama just said it was some staff person's fault--I'm the Messiah, can't blame me. Media didn't.
And sorry, Josh Marshall and his ilk at TPM are garbage. Anything written there is nothing but partisan hackery--sort of like HuffPo and Kos.
McCain's Communication director pushed this story to reporters
before the facts were out. This young woman and McCain campaign worker has a history of mental problems.
Read all about here
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/mccain_aide_gave_reporters_inc.php
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
Well, not quite Yael.
Turns out McCain and Palin may not have done "the right thing."
McCain Communications Director Gave Reporters Incendiary Version Of "Carved B" Story Before Facts Were Known
Turns out the McCain campaign was pushing the story hard before it fell apart.
Sad.
An old ploy by demented white girls...
I'm sorry, but this should have never made it onto the news until her story was checked out. FIRST OF ALL... the backwards "B" is obviously a result of her cutting herself while looking in a mirror. That was the first clue. It was OBVIOUS.
Second of all, white girls blaming some crime on an unknown black man... how many times has this happened in the past? It seems like it's always southern girls who do it, too.
That crazy wacko Susan Smith, who killed her two little boys, remember her? She accused a black of kidnapping to throw the police off her trail.
Anybody recall the book "To Kill A Mockingbird"? This type of false accusation is nothing new. This should have never been news in the first place, but it looks like it backfired big time.
McCain is attracting some desperate, mentally ill people, obviously. No SANE person would vote for him, that's for sure.
Crazy
I hope this weird person's actions do not sway anybody in anyones direction - maybe in Obama's because of his promise to fund more mental health care.
A Very Close Call
If the Pittsburgh police had not done their job in such a professional manner, this story could have exploded into a game-changing event costing Obama untold numbers of votes. The hate mongers were already at work trying to make that happen. It is true that when people are incited with fear and hate speech as has been the hallmark of the McCain/Palin campaign, there is no controlling the outcome. As much as one might have suspected a dirty trick, it appears that this misguided creature is likely to be mentally ill. So let's thank the Pittsburgh police for a job well done.
You got this one right
Let's hope we all now move quietly from this "distraction."