part 1 of please forward to everyone you know was posted on 10.14.07.

Obama responds to the smear campaign. From the chicago sun-times:

Obama said the “swiftboating” started after he announced for president and Fox News “started saying, ‘“well this guy went to schools in madrassas.’” He revealed that his campaign urged CNN to pursue the story.

“And we had to send CNN to this school in Indonesia where everybody’s in short pants with their Ipods and playing video games. You know and I was like, come on. But so we’ve already seen this. And I think when Romney starts saying this stuff - sometimes it may be honest mistakes, sometimes not. You don’t know. But I have no doubt that there will be some of that - trying to make me into this foreign, you know, odd clearly black person.”

Apparently Mitt confused Obama and Osama on the stump. From the ny times:

“I think that is a position which is not consistent with the fact,” Mr. Romney said. “Actually, just look at what Osam — uh — Barack Obama, said just yesterday. Barack Obama calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield. That is the central place, he said. Come join us under one banner.”
The comment set off some confusion among the press corps. Glen Johnson of the Associated Press was momentarily frantically searching for comments made by Mr. Obama, another Democratic presidential contender, about jihadism and Iraq.

It turns out, of course, Mr. Romney was talking about the new audiotape from bin Laden calling on insurgents in Iraq to unite.

Update on 11.08.07: After refuting an accusation that he did not put his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance during a campaign event (Obama argues it was “God Bless America” and not the pledge of allegiance, thus no heart holding was necessary…you can’t make this shit up) Obama addressed the smear campaign:

“You’ve got e-mails saying I’m a Muslim plant trying to take over America,” Obama said. “We’ve seen this before.”