[Guest post by DRJ]

The Indiana Democratic primary is May 6, 2008, and it sounds like dirty tricks are afoot.

Yesterday Jake Tapper at ABC’s blog posted a YouTube clip of a 1992 War Room interview with Mickey Kantor, former Clinton trade representative and current Hillary supporter/adviser, saying bad things about Hoosiers and George Stephanopolous. I can’t provide a link because Tapper’s post has been taken down but Tapper reposted here with additional information.

The Politico’s Ben Smith followed up with the War Room director, D. A. Pennebaker, who said the subtitles had been doctored to show Kantor “referring to Indiana residents with an expletive and to his colleague George Stephanopolous with a racial slur.” Smith also talked to the audio editor who apparently claims the clip wasn’t doctored, although it’s not clear to me if the editor was referring to the expletive, the racial slur or both.

I dont’ know what really happened but it’s not surprising how much of a battle the Democratic primary has become. What is surprising is that the news media blogs are responding like citizen blogs. One guy with a laptop breaks stories as they happen and sometimes has to take them down with an explanation. Other bloggers read the stories and follow up.

I suspect political reporters have always shared stories and compared notes and they probably still do outside public view, but I think it’s better for everyone if the stories succeed or fail where the public can see them.

— DRJ