National Enquirer Retracts Report of Existence of Obama Sex Scandal (Sorta) Proof, Or: Lied
That's right, false alarm. The only thing adding any sliver of believability to the National Enquirer's rehashing of a 2008 rumor about a Barack Obama affair was a claim about the existence of a video tape showing the president and his former aide at an illicit hotel rendezvous. They didn't claim to have the tape, or even know where it was, but just that it existed. Maybe:
"The ENQUIRER has also learned that on-site hotel surveillance video camera footage could provide indisputable evidence," the story once read.
Now, an astute eye at Mediaite (doubtlessly refreshing the page all day, fiending for new info), found that the Enquirer report has been "UPDATED," meaning stripped of anything almost resembling journalism.
All that remains is anonymous chatter from a limo driver back in 2004, who claims he dropped off a women, Vera Baker, at a hotel where Obama might've been. According to the tabloid, "top anti-Obama operatives are offering more than $1 million to witnesses to reveal what they know about the alleged hush-hush affair."
The lingering urge to trust the Enquirer after their brush with the truth in the John Edwards affair has all but been squandered on this recycled story, and it didn't even have a chance to grow legs beyond the weekend. It will be interesting to watch whether Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, et al. dare to touch this thing with the Enquirer, of all places, already issuing what resembles a correction in the world of "real journalism."
For a minute there a lot of people were on the verge of very nervous. Now maybe Obama can enjoy his dinner.
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