Jake Tapper’s Casual Smear of the Day

Jake Tapper at ABC News says “conservative blogs were all atwitter” about that silly rumor that Michelle Obama called an African media organization and ranted about racism.

The conservative blogs are all atwitter about a bizarre interview allegedly with Michelle Obama on a Web site called “African Press International.”

No, Jake. Conservative blogs were not “all atwitter.” At LGF we said the story was bunk in no uncertain terms.

The idea that conservative blogs universally accepted this bogus report is nothing but a smear, and it’s par for the course for the incredibly biased mainstream media. Some blogs may have taken the story at face value, but most did not.

Reporting it this way is sloppy and dishonest; it’s intended to portray the center right blogosphere as a monolithic group of lock-step morons, dumbly swallowing every rumor that comes out. And that description is much better applied to places like Daily Kos and Huffington Post.

(Hat tip:Chas)

A Biden-Hillary Surprise?

Skeptical doesn’t even begin to describe my reaction to this rumor, but Andrew Malcolm seems to think we can’t dismiss it out of hand: After Sarah Palin VP debate, Joe Biden to step aside for Hillary Clinton?

The report does seem truly far-fetched — until you start recalling Biden’s series of campaign gaffes so far, including his effusive praise of McCain and taking a position contrary to Obama’s that matches the Republican’s on at least one issue.

And then there was that recent plaintive video (see video below) showing a shirt-sleeved Biden restlessly pacing the campaign stage. He was supposed to be talking about the Obama-Biden ticket and its platform. But instead Biden went on and on about what a close friend Hillary Clinton is and how well-qualified she is.

And, in fact, Biden suggested, she might have been a better vice presidential choice than he was, an unwelcome on-camera reminder of the gender imbalance on the Democratic ticket compared to the GOP’s.

Another possible reason for this candidate swap: What if in Thursday night’s VP debate in St. Louis, Biden, an expert debater, figuratively rolls up his sleeves, takes off the gloves and simply demolishes Palin rhetorically and policy-wise. Just destroys her.

Many if not most would find that bullying, an offense that could be rectified by Biden’s departure and Obama, the would-be chief executive, stepping in to decisively make things right by naming a woman in his place. And the once-popular Palin would have been neutralized.

In any other election cycle such a scenario would be truly beyond belief. Simply couldn’t happen.

(Hat tip:Nancy@LGF)