Stop the lies

Not even a full week into his campaign as the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama launched a website to stop the lies.

He's calling it "Fight the Smears," and it can be accessed at http://www.fightthesmears.com.

The site, launched today, lists rumors, lies and misconceptions that have been associated with Obama and the people around him, such as the rumor that his wife, Michelle, used "whitey" at Trinity United Church of Christ, and it was caught on tape. According to the website, "No such tape exists. Michelle Obama has not spoken from the pulpit at Trinity and has not used that word."

As the race to the White House hastens, lies and rumors will fly. I think it was smart of Obama and his camp to start the website because people will want to know the truth. With television networks using talking heads and self-proclaimed experts, who have the freedom to say what they want about both candidates, sometimes non-truths will slip out. I don't know how many times I've heard that Obama is unAmerican because he doesn't say the Pledge or wear a flag pin on his lapel. After you hear that 10-15 times, you might start to believe it. If you're still on the fence about that one, "Fight the Smears" has footage of the U.S. senator pledging allegiance to the flag.

"Fight the Smears" is like the political equivalent to Snopes, http://snopes.com/, the website that debunks urban legends. In times when campaign mudslinging is the norm and is almost expected, it's good to have a system in place that speaks the truth.