Today in the Washington Post, staff writer, Eli Saslow, relates the story of a patriotic but confused senior citizen torn between the optimistic belief that America can change for the better and the scurrilous rumors that suggest Barack Obama might be an African-born, gay Muslim intent on smuggling his illegal alien relatives into America.

Oh, what will he do? Who can this voter believe?

Will he give in to the small-minded ignorance and malicious rumor mongering of small-town life?

Or will he listen to his better angels exhorting him to rise above prejudice and misinformation and vote for a man of hope and vision?

Enough.

The mainstream media and Team Obama (is an "and" really appropriate in that context?) would have you believe that only racists and fools object to Barack Obama.

Enough of this straw man.

This is a carefully devised strategy to confuse and conflate ridiculous rumors with truly incriminating facts in order to cast doubt on the actually problematic revelations surrounding this unlikely candidate. Obama has a tremendous amount of real baggage (Reverend Wright, ill-considered comments that belie his elitism, etc.)--but, ironically, those tempting time bombs are unnecessary diversions.

Even as Obama defenders disingenuously bring up straw-men distractions while simultaneously shrieking that we should only concern ourselves with real issues, we should call that bluff.

Barack Obama is the most verifiably liberal Democratic Party nominee since Adlai Stevenson. He is much too far left of mainstream to get elected president under ordinary circumstances--and possibly too offensively liberal to win even during these times so conducive for a Democratic candidate.

Forget about his middle name. Forget about his whacked-out pastor. Forget about the radicalized wife. Give me Obama and the issues, all the issues, nothing but the issues, and, so help me, the GOP has a shot at snatching a victory against all odds.