Did Clinton blacken Obama?

It all started with a post published on Tuesday on the Daily Kos- one of the country's most read political blogs. With screen copies to support the argument, a blogger said that Clinton's staff had darkened and widened images of Obama to exaggerate his African features. Since then, bloggers from each camp and even the traditional media (e.g. Fox News) have scrutinised the images to try to work it out. Conspiracy theory or racist attack? It's impossible to know. But the most interesting thing about the situation, which emerged only days after the "turban affair", is that it proves that Obama's race remains a highly sensitive subject. And if he does make it as the Democratic candidate, will Republican supporters try to exploit it?

"Kos jumps into the idiotic scandal of the week"

On the Littlegreenfootballs blog:

(...) Again: these morons are hyperventilating over videos they are watching via the internet, and assuming that the orangey color of Obama's face in one video is somehow "genuine," while the desaturated color and slightly different aspect ratio in the Clinton video is a nefarious racist plot.

Also note that the color they're assuming is "genuine" is from a video of the TV debate - in which all the candidates wear a thick layer of facial makeup.

It's just hilarious; I haven't been this amused by Daily Kos in ages."

The original post published 5 March 08

"And we're to believe that this is again just a coincidence"

John Averosis, Americablog blogger and a Barack Obama supporter:

It just keeps happening again and again and again. The Clintons keep doing things, saying things, that sound awfully racist. And we're to believe that this, the - what? 8th, 10th time? - this has happened is again just a coincidence. The first half a dozen times you launch seemingly racist attacks on your black opponent, maybe - maybe - we can write it off as "boy you're really dumb not to get it." But having a seemingly-racist attack from the Clinton folks on Obama every single week, after a while, you don't get to play the "I had no idea!" card anymore. After that many times, you're race-baiting. You're using racism to win. And you're destroying your legacy and your husband's. Enough already."

The original post published 4 March 08

Screen copies published by the DailyKos

Above: Obama in Clinton's campaign clip:

And below: Obama in the original images used by Clinton.