Memogate Redux?

(This post has been updated)

Are we seeing the beginning of "Memogate 2008™?"

This story has been percolating in the blogosphere the past few days. Then this news came out, and Ace offered a reward for a copy of the video. Then some bloggers started having some fun with the story. Next, alleged “teasers” leaked out, and the McCain campaign took notice. Today, thanks to the recalcitrant editors at the LA Times, the story exploded. Now that the story’s going mainstream, a better offer has come through.

Here’s more on all of this from Patterico, a blogger who has made a name for himself with his scathing critiques of LA Times.

I’m not sure if this blog swarm will ultimately come to anything, but it’s reminiscent of the way the Dan Rather/Bush National Guard memo fiasco started just before the 2004 election.

I didn’t (and still don’t) see this story as a “game changer” this close to election day, but it ties in well with McCain’s attacks on Obama’s radical ideology. Now that there’s big money involved, it’ll be fun to see if this story will lead to a blizzard of news coverage, or just another wintry mix.

If it turns out to be true, the tape leaks out, and Obama is on film saying things that most Americans would deem “reprehensible,” it’ll dominate the weekend news cycle like his “Midwesterners cling to guns and religion and xenophobia” remarks did.

And as has been cited in many great editorials, the biggest loser this election cycle has been the press. If it turns out that The LA Times sat on a damaging Obama video and stonewalled when word of it leaked out, then there will be no reputable person left to argue that they weren't in the tank for him to begin with. When the shoe was on the other foot, they released the evidence.

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UPDATE:

Here's Allah on the topic:

I was skeptical at first that anything useful would come from it even if it was released, but now that Maverick’s made an issue of it to build suspense, a clip showing The One demonstrating that first-class temperament of his by sitting there placidly while some tool recites a poem “accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians” would be fun viewing during the run-up to Tuesday. Think of it as a proxy for the Wright attack McCain refuses to make: Same basic parameters — Obama cuddling up to a radical whose criticism of America and its allies is a bit more fragrant than voters are accustomed to — but safely stripped of black/white racial politics and ensconced within a defense of Israel. If the tape surfaces, you won’t need to play connect the dots by bringing up Wright and Ayers. Voters will do it themselves.

I agree, but with a minor quibble. The tape doesn't just have to surface; it has to be a smoking gun. If it's nothing other than proof that Obama attended an event where other people said "inartful" things, then the press will downplay it and report only on how conservative bloggers are attacking him for "attending a charity dinner that attracted a diverse array of political and intellectual leaders."

I know, I know, the double standard is frustrating as hell.

It made international news when it was revealed that Sarah Palin wore a Pat Buchanan button, once, when he visited Wasilla, Alaska. Journalists extrapolated that the pin might be evidence that she's a closet proponent of white power, due to Buchanan's passive support of an obscure nationalist European political party (I'm not trying to defend Buchanan, but to point out how thin the connection was).

Now it's known that Barack Obama attended a dinner with a Palestinian terrorist, perhaps accompanied by domestic terrorists, but we're not allowed to see the videotape for fear that we'll extrapolate, via direct proof, evidence that Obama runs in radical circles.

I think it's appropriate to post this image again: