CHARLEY JAMES AND HIS CAMPAIGN TO SMEAR SARAH PALIN

CHARLEY JAMES, a self-professed investigative journalist, "broke" an alleged story that has swept the internet like a virus. Mr. James claims that wrote to an unnamed friend "asking if he knew people (James) could contact for a possible article (about Sarah Palin)." James then claims "[a] short list of names was provided, including Lucille the Waitress." According to James, "Lucille" cleans his friend's house and also holds a waitress job. James spent 10 minutes interviewing "Lucille" over the phone. He did not do anything to qualify her as a credible witness. for example, he doesn;t know her age admitting that she is in her "late 50s or 60s." Incredibly, he violated proper journalistic technique by offering to keep her last name anonymous.

According to "Lucille" (according to James - double hearsay), "Lucille" overheard Governor Palin blurt, "So Sambo beat the B!#ch," a reference to Barack Obama beating Hilary Clinton. James also claims that the waitress overheard Governor Palin refer to Alaskan Eskimos as "Arctic Arabs." http://thepoliticalcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/ (Uhh...Mr. James, did you know that Sarah's husband and his family are Alaskan Eskimo?)

So "who is" Charley James (just in case you had any doubt that he was a dispassionate, unbiased "journalist")?

• Mr. James internet pseudonym is "The_Curmudgeon". He wrote a short essay recently in praise of Bill Cosby and in agreement that black America has not made it, and won't make it. http://www.slate.com/id/2103794/

• Mr. James wrote an essay praising Barack Obama on his acceptance speech on the Obama Campaign's blog. http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/Denver?page=2.

• Mr. James claims in some web posts that he grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in others that he grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Compare http://www.blogger.com/profile/14584026728704830831 with http://www.truthout.org/article/charley-james-i-remember-molly So, which is it?

• James describes himself as a "deranged ex-pat Yank writing from the relative safety of Canada." http://thepoliticalcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/

• He has a sister named Janice, he grew up near Halen's grocery store, he used to work for WCCO-TV, and claims that he was an assistant editor for Business Week (which is not be verified). He frequently publishes his invective commentary critical of the Republican party and its candidates in well-known liberal blogs such as Vadimus Post, The LA Progressive, and his webblog The Progressive Curmudgeon.

• Mr. James also claims that he, not Lorne Michaels and Chevy Chase, developed the concept of pardoy news. http://www.truthout.org/article/charley-james-i-remember-molly
  

• James claims his mom and dad marched for Dr. King in the 1960s and ended up on Nixon's "enemies list." http://www.alternet.org/election08/96887/obama%27s_grand_speech:_reason_for_hope/?comments=view&cID=991457&pID=991344#c991457