The Chicago Police Department is investigating a claim that the Internet gossip Matt Drudge may have a connection to their ongoing investigation of Sen. Barack Obama.

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The thought process seems a tad counterintuitive:

Journalists, for instance, have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending that the contest is closer than it really is. Most coverage breathlessly portrays the race as a down-to-the-wire sprint between two well-matched candidates, one only slightly better situated than the other to win in August at the national convention in Denver.

[snip]

One important, if subliminal, reason is self-interest. Reporters and editors love a close race — it’s more fun and it’s good for business.

The media are also enamored of the almost mystical ability of the Clintons to work their way out of tight jams, as they have done for 16 years at the national level. That explains why some reporters are inclined to believe the Clinton campaign when it talks about how she’s going to win on the third ballot at the Democratic National Convention in August.

That’s certainly possible — and, to be clear, we’d love to see the race last that long — but it’s folly to write about this as if it is likely.

What do you think?

P.S. Matt Drudge is already linking to the Politico’s story.

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Big Head DC has received credible information indicating that the now infamous Sen. Barack Obama picture, which shows him wearing traditional Somali garb in 2006, was posted on at least one conservative Web site several hours before Matt Drudge highlighted the photo. It seems highly likely that the photo was forwarded to Drudge from one of the conservative Web site writers, or he saw it on his own, and then he posted a story regarding the picture. To seal the story, he may have decided to falsely claim that the Sen. Hillary Clinton campaign had ties to the picture’s distribution.

No Clinton campaign staffers have taken credit for spreading the photo, which, as Big Head DC noted today, was initially published in August 2006 on an African news Web site.

Drudge has not responded to requests for comment.

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NOTE: Help Big Head DC’s Investigative Team Grow!

The AP follows up on Big Head DC’s lead. Implications that Matt Drudge cooked a Sen. Hillary Clinton campaign for president connection to the Sen. Barack Obama Somali dress story loom large:

The gossip and news Web site The Drudge Report posted the photograph Monday and said it was being circulated by “Clinton staffers” and quoted an e-mail from an unidentified campaign aide. Drudge did not include proof of the e-mail in the report.

“I just want to make it very clear that we were not aware of it, the campaign didn’t sanction it and don’t know anything about it,” Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a teleconference with reporters. “None of us have seen the e-mail in question. If anybody has independent reporting that they’ve done on it I would welcome it.”

One has to wonder: If there truly was a mean-spirited campaign e-mail belonging to a Clinton staffer touting Obama’s costume, wouldn’t Drudge have released the evidence by now?

Earlier: Drudge Accuses Clinton of Obama Photo Ties, But ‘Somali Dress’ Picture Has Been Online For Months

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Update, 4 p.m. ET: N. Kafi, the managing editor of the “Geeska Afrika” publication, tells Big Head DC that the publication produced the original report on Sen. Barack Obama’s travels in Kenya, and the Clinton camp had nothing to do with the circulation. The report includes the picture Matt Drudge indicated was circulated by the Clinton campaign. The report has been in worldwide circulation since August 2006:

http://www.geeskaafrika.com/ethiopia_31aug06.htm

Original report, 12:58 p.m. ET: While the Matt Drudge Web site tried desperately early Monday to convince readers that a picture of Sen. Barack Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb has been circulated by the Sen. Hillary Clinton campaign, Big Head DC can confirm that the Clinton camp did not release the photo.

In fact, the picture has appeared on the news site “Geeska Afrika” for several months.

What may have happened is Drudge found the picture on the Geeska Afrika Web site and then knowingly launched a fake story insisting the Clinton camp was behind the circulation of the picture. There may be evidence that Drudge even fabricated e-mails from Clinton staffers referring to the photo. The Internet publisher has long been well-known for his distaste for the Clinton family.

By now, the Drudge narrative has been picked up by several conservative-leaning publications, including the Politico. And the Obama camp has released a statement denouncing the Clinton camp for its imaginary ties to the photo, which shows Obama dressed as a Somali Elder during a 2006 visit to Kenya.

Of course, Big Head DC doesn’t yet have the reach of the Drudge Report, so good luck getting this message out there.

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After investigating charges first raised by Matt Drudge that John McCain played favorites with a certain lobbyist, WaPo reporter Howard Kurtz has labeled Drudge an “Internet gossip.”

Drudge first reported the New York Times investigation into the McCain matter on Thursday.

“The Times inquiry burst into public view when the Drudge Report Web site posted an item about the newspaper’s probe,” Kurtz reports in the Friday edition of the Washington Post. “Internet gossip Matt Drudge has occasionally served as a conduit for allegations that news organizations are investigating but have not yet published.”

Before Kurtz released his book, Reality Show, in October, one of the first place excerpts from the book appeared was on the Drudge Report. Drudge also links to the online version of Kurtz’ latest column.

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Matt Drudge reports:

Just weeks away from a possible surprise victory in the primaries, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz has been waging a ferocious behind the scenes battle with the NEW YORK TIMES, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, and has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!

And, thus far, the publication’s top editors have bowed to McCain’s demands, despite apparently solid reporting from their reporters.

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Yesterday we shared the shocking news that Gawker Media’s recent book on conquering the media had sold only 242 books since its Oct. 2 release date, a bit of gossip that was too good for even Matt Drudge to pass up. Well, proving the old adage that any publicity is good publicity, Portfolio follows up with this bit of news, however limp it may be: Read more…

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Second line story on Drudge today:

Ironically, this link to Portfolio’s story on the HUGE Gawker book bomb will end up driving more traffic to Gawker than it usually sees in a month.

Earlier: Wonkette Publisher’s BIG Book Bomb

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“Well, guess what — the Army may not be willing to reveal its docs to TNR, the target of its investigation, but it has just acknowledged that someone internally has willingly leaked them to Matt Drudge,” reports Talking Points Memo. “This again calls into question the Army’s handling of this affair in a big way. It’s bad enough that the Army hasn’t been willing to show any transparency with regard to its probe into this. It’s worse still that someone — apparently an Army official — is leaking some of the probe docs to Drudge, likely as part of an effort to get back at TNR.”

Related: Drudge / TNR Scandal Brewing

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