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.