This book is supported by 10 pages of meticulously-researched end-notes supporting every factual assertion about the candidate’s failure to shoot straight with the American people, and this breach-of-faith’s implications for the Presidency.

“Straight shooter” makes me think of McCain. Hasn’t his campaign made reference to their candidate being just that? I think this use of words could be a hint to the identity of he-who-is-about-to-be-smeared.

What seems totally clear to me is that this is a smear tactic, one that probably has little merit. If it were a true charge then they would have released it sooner, releasing it now shows they don’t want people to have time to fact check.

If it stays on the blogosphere (I hold no illusions about most blogs being ethical enough not to run the story) then it won’t hurt him too much, but if FOX and MSNBC and the like pick up on it, it could really hurt him. This is “McCain has a black baby” all over again.

The charge is meant to knock the candidate out of an early win so I assume that it will be someone who, at the moment, needs NH more than Iowa. I think if it were Obama, who is a strong contender in Iowa, the charges (if any) would be leveled before he could start gaining momentum in Iowa.

If the targeted candidate weren’t expected to win in Iowa then there would be no reason to go after them right now, so, again, it’s a candidate who is expected to start rolling with a NH win.

Maybe the charges are against Guiliani- no telling what skeletons are in that closet from his college days….

Whatever the charges (and whomever they attack), I hope the press pays minimal attention to them until there is time to do a more thorough investigation. But the press likes sensationalism and selling stories, so that’s unlikely.

Whomever is sending this around may or may not possess some juicy gossip, but he/she certainly has a firm grasp on how the blogosphere works. We gab. We gab all day and night — rereading, rewriting, rephrasing and retorting. Revelation Press doesn’t expect us to sit on our hands waiting for the scoop, they expect us to talk about it ad nauseum.

Look at the great lengths they went to describe the informant – indeed his reputation shall now preceed him. However, the timing of the bomb drop erodes all credibility – if it is legit it should’ve been released earlier; if not, well, it’s not – thank you, come again.

The specter of “revelation” aims to make us think twice about the candidates. They used all the right words (Revelation, decorated military, college days, author, etc) and achieved. The Moderate Voice and its school of guppies have collectively taken the bait.

But then let the media be careful with it.

That said, I bet we get 500 pages of footnotes proving that yes, Alan Keyes is indeed insane

Now, the reporting of Dubya’s 30-year old drunk driving arrest on the weekend before the 2000 election – I believe that one qualifies…..

Note I stressed IF it was legitimate.

I covered various local races when I was on newspapers and that last minute charge that comes a day or so before the election is truly sleazy.

We’ll see!