The Big B
I have a very inconsistent bullshit detector, so I was pretty pleased that I spotted the Ashley Todd story as a fake I first saw the report of her attack. Now that I'm checking reports, it seems the police were dubious from the get-go.
My initial reason is that it's just too archetypal. A big black man basically brands a Republican campaign worker while telling her he's going to make her an Obama supporter? Crimes of cruelty, and I've thankfully witnessed few, tend to be lazy and unthinking. If the National Review featured a sexual letter column like Penthouse's, it would feature stories like this one.
Second, there's the 'B'. If you believe Todd's current story, she just blanked out and there was a 'B' carved into her face. That seems arbitrary, but I've wondered what sort of people the McCain-Palin campaign is targeting, and when I think, "people who suddenly realize they've carved a letter onto their own face," everything falls into place.
But a 'B' is a really terrible choice, both practically and symbolically. It should be an 'O'. It's also a far easier logo. Even if you added the little 'road off to the horizon' logo on it, it's still way more plausible than a 'B'. Also, practically, a 'B' is a lot of work. You have a line and too loops that have to connect. If you're working with a knife and a struggling person, that's not an easy thing to carve.
Hell, the story would be a step more credible if the phantom attacker was a Biden supporter. Instead of a 6'4" black man, it could be a sturdily built middle-aged Amtrack enthusiast.
The political fallout will be because the McCain campaign connected itself to the story by sending it to reporters and calling Todd. If they don't double check better than this, I can imagine cabinet appointment issued to "Some guy named Fred".
My initial reason is that it's just too archetypal. A big black man basically brands a Republican campaign worker while telling her he's going to make her an Obama supporter? Crimes of cruelty, and I've thankfully witnessed few, tend to be lazy and unthinking. If the National Review featured a sexual letter column like Penthouse's, it would feature stories like this one.
Second, there's the 'B'. If you believe Todd's current story, she just blanked out and there was a 'B' carved into her face. That seems arbitrary, but I've wondered what sort of people the McCain-Palin campaign is targeting, and when I think, "people who suddenly realize they've carved a letter onto their own face," everything falls into place.
But a 'B' is a really terrible choice, both practically and symbolically. It should be an 'O'. It's also a far easier logo. Even if you added the little 'road off to the horizon' logo on it, it's still way more plausible than a 'B'. Also, practically, a 'B' is a lot of work. You have a line and too loops that have to connect. If you're working with a knife and a struggling person, that's not an easy thing to carve.
Hell, the story would be a step more credible if the phantom attacker was a Biden supporter. Instead of a 6'4" black man, it could be a sturdily built middle-aged Amtrack enthusiast.
The political fallout will be because the McCain campaign connected itself to the story by sending it to reporters and calling Todd. If they don't double check better than this, I can imagine cabinet appointment issued to "Some guy named Fred".