2008-05-08 Where did the Web rumors about Obama come from

2008-05-08 \dirty tricks\Barack Obama\Barack Obama/Muslim smear\CIA\Internet http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/36410.html Where did the Web rumors about Obama come from? &ldquo;...it's unlikely that any campaign or political professional is associated with creating the sordid stuff – the fallout would be a political nightmare ... In fact, they tend to be the work of committed political amateurs. .. One practitioner in Virginia, who hates Obama like a dog hates cats, led a reporter through his efforts. Because the man is a retired clandestine CIA officer, identifying him could endanger officers or operations that remain classified, so McClatchy will not reveal his name. .. In late 2006, convinced that an Obama presidency would be disastrous for America, he decided to start an anti-Obama operation. He combed the public record on Obama. He used a couple of allies and informants â€” half-jokingly dubbing his group "The Crusaders" â€” to learn about Obama's background, especially his Africa connection and how he came to be the editor of the Harvard Law Review. .. He assembled a dossier on Obama, including allegations that Obama attended a madrassa, or Islamic religious school, in his youth in Indonesia.&rdquo;   