David Weigel at the Washington Independent takes a look back in anguish at the day Larry Johnson’s few remaining shreds of credibility died. It was one year ago, on May 16, 2008, when Larry claimed definitive knowledge of a video tape of first lady Michelle Obama ranting about white people and yelling “whitey.” This explosive video, we were assured, was about to be released to the public, thereby sinking any chances Barack Obama had of seizing the Democratic nomination from Hillary Clinton, then the object of Larry’s adoration.
A year has gone by and, of course, no such tape ever appeared. To be honest, it’s been so long since I saw a link to anything at No Quarter that I siimply assumed Larry had quietly closed up shop and slunk away after Obama secured the nomination. But he’s apparently still in business, and still pushing the same old schtick.
Why was the tape never revealed and used? One theory is that the hardline conservatives in possession of the tape did not want John McCain to win, a plausible theory given the hard right’s reluctance in general to aid McCain’s campaign.
Of course! How could we have been so blind? Obviously the hardline conservatives would want Barack Obama to be elected president. That would certainly send the right message to John McCain. Clearly the hardline conservatives would want Obama appointing the next two, if not three Supreme Court justices. That would sure teach nasty old John McCain a lesson. And the hardline conservatives would definitely want Obama running the global war on terror for the next four or eight years. That should teach that nasty old RINO John McCain a thing or two! Why, I’ll bet when all of the real hardline conservatives get together each month for the local meetings of the Hardline Conservatives Union and polish their negro lawn jockey statuary, they all chuckle about the many copies of the infamous tape which they all watch every weekend, but refuse to release to the press.