Mrs Obama:

Barack Obama’s campaign has been working to soften and sweeten his wife’s image, but the real problem is that such an effort even seems necessary. Michelle Obama has been fielding scurrilous attacks that both presidential candidates and both parties should denounce. She has been called “Obama’s baby mama,” slang for an unwed mother. She has faced allegations that she used the slur “whitey” in a speech. And the much discussed fist-bump that she shared with her husband earlier this month has been absurdly dissected: Could it be a terrorist gesture?

Taken individually, each comment might be explained or apologised away. But together they add up to a muddy, racially charged effort to portray Michelle Obama as angry and dangerous. Obama’s husband defends her on his website, but one site can’t clean up the muck. Anyway, Michelle isn’t running for president. It’s fair to challenge a candidate’s family members when they act as campaign surrogates. But political officialdom shouldn’t tolerate malicious falsehoods.

John McCain is a logical choice as an anti-smear spokesman. Enough nasty distortions. As the November election nears, McCain and Obama can demand better from their campaigns and their supporters — and take a stand against the manufacturing of blatant lies. — The Boston Globe