Barack Detours when asked about Michelle Race Rant

Questioned by a McClatchy News reporter about the veracity of rumors circulating around the Internet that wife Michelle was caught on video in a heated rant against white people, Senator Obama brushed aside the question and turned instead to decry whispering campaigns.

Politico's Ben Smith says the Senator responded with, “We have seen this before. There is dirt and lies that are circulated in e-mails and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about it,”....That gives legs to the story. If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it.”

Smith writes, Asked whether he knew it not to be true, Obama said he had answered the question.

So was it even acceptable to ask the question?

Before Obama could answer, communications director Robert Gibbs interjected: “You just did.”

“That is my point,” Obama said. “I just think people have to think about it before they ask.”

The reason the reporter asked the question Senator Obama, was to dispel rumors swirling around the Internet of a race centered tirade by the Missus at the 2004 Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference held in your city that year. The reporter assigned to your entourage was giving you a golden opportunity to categorically deny that any such outburst ever occured by the woman who provides the world with a window to your soul.

Instead of responding with a conclusive answer such as, "It's absolutely untrue." or "Michelle never said anything of the sort." or even, "That's a complete lie." the Senator instead responded with a reflexive retort, then redirected to the subject of how unflatering stories are circulated by email, scolded the reporter for having the temerity to ask the such a question and finally challenges the unknown person or person's holding such a compromising recording to produce the evidence!

Are we at some forensic forum or at trial that you should respond in such an indirect manner to a direct question Senator? Has the practice of engaging in Socratic fencing matches when confronted with direct queries become second nature to you?

A flat out "No" Senator would have gone a whole lot farther in putting this whole thing to rest than responding with stupid debating trick #1, Attack The Messenger. Why address a question when you can attack the questioner? By attacking the questioner you can avoid answering directly or answering at all and then redirect to appear to hold the higher ground.

OK, you heard the Senator, if someone really has a Tape or DVD or oil painting of Michelle Obama deep in the throes of some race-baiting rant then produce the evidence for all of us to see. It's time for the person or person's holding such collateral to put up or shut up because if such a video does exist, Obama's campaign to represent his party this November is finished.

Chicagoans Against Obama too are not impressed by the Senator's non-answer answer.

...it looks like this tape probably does exist based on the following:

1. Barack did not deny it’s existence

2. He reverted to belittling a reporter for asking the question—he typically does this if someone refers to, or asks him about……his middle name, heritage, lack of experience, voting record, lies, preachers, mentors, fundraisers, wife, Palestinian friends, Hamas negotiating foreign policy advisors, terrorist friends, etc……