Rush Was Punked: “Obama Thesis” Hoax! (Psst: Media Matters for America plant)

An obscure blogger unearths some pages of President Obama's college thesis. The report supposedly comes from big-time journalist Joe Klein of Time magazine.

It must have seemed so perfect. An unknown blogger picked up on a made-up post meant as a joke, which claimed that Joe Klein had gotten his hands on 10 pages of student Obama's college thesis. Rush Limbaugh jumped on it, which immediately sparked Web searches on "obama thesis."
Supposedly titled "Aristocracy Revisited," the excerpt revealed the president had "doubts" about the "so-called founders." Juicy. Except not true. Limbaugh discovered halfway through his show that he'd been had, but defended himself by saying basically the thesis felt true. Listen in to Rush's mea sorta culpa. ALERT ALERT!!! Media Matters of America embed link!!!!
Joe Klein finally jumped in, and called the report "nonsense" on his Swampland blog, and the blogger who thought the hoax was real also apologized.
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93122#comments

Gee, a Media Matters of America embed link, imagine that! You just knew that they had something to do with this! Rush will handle this on Monday and those engaging in "anti-Rush" virteol will once again have egg on their face, distracted away from Obama's agenda and onto a private citizen. Their lookin' out for you folks!


Here's what really happened:


Several interesting comments followed:

"The differences with Rush and the traditional media: Rush was very specific citing his source; Monday, this will be on top of his list of things to talk about. Contrast that with the "traditional" media."

"It worked because it's plausible." That's the "fake but accurate" defense that Dan Rather used unsuccessfully for his Bush/TXANG report. It didn't work for Rather and it won't work for Ledeen."

"Rush clearly stated that since he had been discredited by "quotes" that he never said. He like his detractors chose to believe "quotes" that fit his prior mind set. Of course the information was never taken from anything that Obama wrote, he is a stealth individual. There is nothing of substance from his high school, Occidental College, Columbia University, Harvard University, including the Harvard Law Review that he allegedly was the editor of. The question should not have been were those things that Obama wrote, but can Obama write at all, he clearly did not write his two books about his life. This raises another question, was that his real life? "