The Volokh Conspiracy on the "Whitey" Conspiracy

Just sharing:
By far, the best write up on the alleged tape of Michelle Obama raving about "whitey" appears at the Volokh Conspiracy. A blogger at Volokh, Jim Lindgren, heard the rumors generated by Larry Johnson, the largely incredible figure behind No Quarter, and decided to dig around a bit. After all, this tape, if it exists, can be pretty explosive stuff (or so we keep hearing from sites such as Hillbuzz). Anyway, armed with reason and employing old-fashioned gumshoe technology (e.g., he actually went somewhere--to Rainbow/Push Coalition HQ to ask questions), Mr. Lindgren provides enough evidence to undermine Johnson's claim. He remains ambivalent about a tape's authenticity--that is, whether a tape exists--Lindgren asserts "that the most common version of the story [. . .] is almost certainly false." His conclusion matches that of numerous other, albeit lazier, bloggers since the rumor appeared. Despite those bloggers' efforts, some readers just can't help but resist the call of reason:

1. dingbat Says:
   Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 11:53 pm[. . . .] I have read a number of stories which debunk the “whitey tape” existence. But, I have read lots of stories that support its existence. I give Larry Johnson quite a bit of credibility. Of course, if there is a tape, it need to come out before August, otherwise, I really dont care.

And there you have it. All these stories are questionable because they question Larry Johnson.

Folks, when Fox News and The National Review reject the story as a hoax, you have to pause and think a little bit.