On Thursday, the Washington Post unleashed a 5,000 word piece on Mitt Romney, prep school prankster and, as the opening paragraphs would have us believe, bullying gay-basher.
A narrative was born.
But less than 24 hours later, the narrative has begun to fall apart. The Post quietly edited certain paragraphs, once the sources began changing their stories. The family of the man Romney supposedly bullied, John Lauber, has questioned the story’s accuracy:
“The family of John Lauber is releasing a statement saying the portrayal of John is factually incorrect and we are aggrieved that he would be used to further a political agenda.:
The Post having a political agenda? Oh my.
This narrative is just another in a string of stories the WaPo has produced over the years aimed squarely smearing a Republican politician. Virginian Republicans will long remember the WaPo’s relentless campaign against George Allen is 2006 and its similarly dogged infatuation with Bob McDonnell in 2009. What’s in store for 2013? Bart Hinkle notes that the “Republicans Suck beat” is alive and kicking.
We’ve come to expect such behavior from the Post. It’s what they do. Their biggest problem, though, is that it’s getting increasingly difficult for them to get away with it.
