September 04, 2008
National Enquirer 'Breaks' Story of Alleged Sarah Palin Affair Scandal
The media's attacks on Gov. Sarah Palin just keep on coming. The National Enquirer is now claiming it has credible evidence that Gov. Sarah Palin had an affair with one of Todd Palin's business associates:
Just as Sarah Palin was preparing to speak at the Republican convention in St. Paul (more on that momentarily), word bubbled up that the National Enquirer alleged in its print edition that John McCain's running mate had an affair with a business partner to her husband.The cover reads:
Sara Palin's DARK SECRETS!The McCain campaign has responded quickly and forcefully:- Affair that nearly ruined her career
- How she tried to cover up teen daughter's pregnancy
- Family war that exposed her lies
“The smearing of the Palin family must end,” said senior adviser Steve Schmidt. “The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Governor Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie...The efforts of the media and tabloids to destroy this fine and accomplished public servant are a disgrace. The American people will reject it...legal action will be considered with regard to this disgraceful smear.”As he did with Iraq, John McCain has "doubled down" on this story. For its part, the Enquirer says:
The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of family strife when the Governor's daughter revealed her pregnancy. Following our John Edwards' exclusives, our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign's vetting process. Despite the McCain camp's attempts to control press coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue news on both sides of the political spectrum.While this statement includes a verification that the story includes "incredible" allegations of an affair, it fails to include anything along the lines of "the story is true," "we're confident in our sources" or "we stand behind the story," which one would normally expect in this sort of statement. I suspect they've gotten their asses in a vise on this one and they know it. Given the strength and forcefulness of the response from McCain-Palin, and the weakness of the response from the Enquirer, I'm betting that there's nothing at all there. After being considered a source of meaningless celebrity noise for years, the National Enquirer finally acquired some level of credibility by breaking the news of John Edwards' affair. I'm guessing that credibility will prove to be short-lived. In the meantime, though, the Enquirer will no doubt sell a lot of papers, which is what, after all, they're in business to do.
By Ragnar Danneskjold, Typical Bitter Gun-Clinger at September 4, 2008 11:23 AM | | l digg this
