STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Clinton-or-death extremist Larry Johnson is once again gleefully spreading the rumor (in two essentially identical posts) that there is a video of Michelle Obama referring to "whitey":

New and dramatic developments. This is a heads up. I'll post the news Monday morning by 0900 hours. Now I know why people who have seen the videotape say it is stunning. Barack's headaches are only starting.

(I don't know what's really going on, but I can't help wondering if the fact that he's promising "news" on Monday, rather than a posting of the video, means that he's going to tell us that now he's really sure it exists. But, hey, I don't know.)

But I point this out because I notice that someone else is gleefully spreading the rumor, in an appearance on Fox News: Roger Stone.

FNC 06/01/2008 14:43:30: ... just before the break, Roger Stone the Republican strategist made the comment that Michele Obama used the phrase whitey when describing white people and Michael Brown says bs that is republican dirty tricks as usual. Roger take it away. Michael, you are in the wings. >> This has little to do with the general election and a lot to do with why Hillary Clinton is staying in the race. look, there is already a buzz in Washington at least seven news organizations have contacted me. wanting to know how to get their hands on this tape, giving me more information than I had after I had spoken to each one of them. I now believe the tape exists and I believe a network has it. If this pans to out to be true based on michele obama's previous comment that this is the first time she had been proud of her country which I think shows an attitude it is problematic.

Yes, Larry, your partner in sleazy scuttlebutt is Roger Stone, the guy responsible for the 527 group formed solely to insult Hillary Clinton with a sexist acronym -- Citizens United Not Timid.



Lovely -- you guys are now on the same side.

Hey, Larry (and Larry's fans) -- enjoy your new friend.

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UPDATE, MONDAY MORNING: Oh, fer crissakes -- is the very Roger Stone claim I quoted above the sum total of Larry and his pals' big scoop?

Looks that way right now -- The headline of Johnson's blog's newest post on this subject is "[VIDEO UPDATE] BREAKING NEWS on "Whitey" Tape from Fox News: A TV Network HAS the Tape" -- but the video is just video of Stone saying he thinks there's a "whitey" video and a network has it. In other words, it's video of the Fox appearance I quoted above. There's still no "whitey" video.

If the big revelation Johnson has been promising us for the past couple of days was nothing more than a prediction by Roger Stone that the tape will emerge, that suggests not only that these folks are rowing in the same direction but that Johnson is getting his "tips" from the likes of this old-school GOP scumbag who's been doing dirty tricks since the Nixon days.

Nice, Larry. Are you really just collaborating on the pro-McCain tricks of a freelance Republican sewer rat, or are you being played for a sucker?

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FURTHER UPDATE: Well, the big BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! exclusive Johnson has been promising turns out to be as elusive as WMDs in Iraq -- he's got nothin'. Just an empty promise:

I learned over the weekend why the Republicans who have seen the tape of Michelle Obama ranting about "whitey" describe it as "STUNNING." I have not seen it but I have heard from five separate sources who have spoken directly with people who have seen the tape. It features Michelle Obama and Louis Farrakhan. They are sitting on a panel at Jeremiah Wright's Church when Michelle makes her intemperate remarks. Whoops!! ....

Oh, give me a break. He hasn't even seen it. But it's really, really bad, swear to God.

Vaporware. The Emperor's new clothes. Nicole Simpson's real killer. Crying wolf. What else can I compare this to?*

*Godot. Of course! Thanks, Bulworth.