It started yesterday afternoon with Matt Drudge screaming at the top of his site in red type -- but no siren -- that a Pittsburgh campaign worker for McCain, age 20, had been viciously attacked and the letter "B" carved into her face, presumably by a Barack Obama fan. Her name, it soon emerged, was Ashley Todd and she had come to Pittsburgh from College Station, Texas, to help out.

It started to appear overblown (Drudge downgraded it to smaller, black type) as the police noted that it seemed to be a robbery ($60) and she did not seek medical attention. But later press reports said she would visit a hospital, Sarah Palin and maybe John McCain had called her and Obama camp had condemned, although McCain/Obama angle to story not yet confirmed.

Still later, conservative columnist Michelle Malkin, and some others, grew skeptical. For one thing, the "B" was carved a little too lightly and perfectly -- and backward, as if done using a mirror. Smoking Gun probed a too-pat "Twithttp://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/10/24-10ter" angle and Gawker looked at her MySpace page

Yeah I seen this on tv. That chick was crazy.

She LIED to Police.

Quite the hoax that grabbed the media attention.

Very sick.

seems like things are getting a little tense in North America these days, wouldnt you say...?

Theres an epidemic of stupidity amongst some right wingers.

we havent had good leadership, either your with us or against us ya know?