MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT



Given that the Republican presidential campaign this year has exponentially increased the use of lies – although that would appear a difficult threshold to cross after the Bush 2000 and 2004 campaigns – it may not be long before the right wing media echo chamber starts accusing Clint Eastwood of being an Obama campaign mole.

After all, the right wing has occasionally derided the libertarian Eastwood. Just a few months ago, the Republicans were all over him for starring in a super bowl commercial praising the auto industry bailout under Obama, which Romney opposes to this day. Right to lifers lacerated Eastwood for seeming to sympathize with euthanasia in his award-winning film "Million Dollar Baby."

In fact, in recent years, Eastwood has directed many character-driven, nuanced films including "Mystic River," "Gran Torino," and "Iwo Jima Letters." He has opposed the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, supports abortion, supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and believes gay marriage is a personal right.

In short, it's hard to pin down Eastwood's political beliefs. He's generally supported Republicans president, but has backed a lot of Democrats in his home state of California.

Few would argue that his bizarre presentation on Thursday was disrespectful of the presidency (although Romney's aides claim that the GOP nominee was laughing as he watched Clint's rambling befuddling remarks), but if anything the surreal discourse with a chair sucked up the media air for almost two days. That is not what a presidential campaign wants in coverage after its nominee makes his acceptance speech.

So, one figures it won't be long – given Eastwood's socially progressive and fiscally right wing politics – before FOX and Limbaugh start sending out the meme that Eastwood was an Obama campaign mole.

There is, in fact, little the Obama campaign could have done to tarnish Romney's acceptance speech evening, but Eastwood – in his own flip seedy stunt -- did it for them.

Of course, Eastwood's appearance was the brainchild of the Romney campaign – and allegedly Romney himself.

But that may not keep the right wing media echo chamber – which glows bright on the embers of lies – from claiming that Eastwood was a sabotage agent for the Obama campaign.