There is a faux documentary floating around the Internet titled, The Obama Deception. It is the wing-nut’s reality—a version of “truth” that brings back memories of my days covering Whitewater. The Obama Deception does not offer context of what is being shown and stated as fact. Bam, bam, the President said such and such—mostly edited soundbites. If you watch the video carefully, you see the undercurrent of racism. Hip Hop music, outrageous statements by young African Americans and an ominous suggestion that policies of the current Administration are designed to favor blacks over the rest of the population. For most of the Presidential campaign, Obama was not my candidate. But as he emerged as the Democrat’s nominee, I took time to read his two books—Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. His ideas, perceptions and writing—there were no ghost writers—won my vote. Unfortunately, he inherited two wars and an economy in shambles. Time will tell if he is up to the job. If he fails, it won’t be from lack of effort. Meantime, I see a repeat of fringe tactics that marked the Clinton Presidency. In short, The Obama Deception is a piece of crap designed to damage the Administration at any cost. Although I bailed out after watching for an hour or so, I saw enough to determine the so-called documentary would never pass the smell test of legitimate news organizations. Sadly, the Internet will give it widespread distribution, which only contributes to the partisan hatred that pervades our country today. Fifteen years ago, Whitewater was a pivotal time in the history of politics, as well as journalism. Concurrent with that investigation, a small band of right-wingers produced the Circle of Power and its clone, The Clinton Chronicles. The one-hour “documentaries” were a nastier equivalent of The Obama Deception. Bill Clinton was accused of everything from drug running to murder. As CNN’s senior investigative correspondent in 1994, I was dispatched to Little Rock to find the “truth.” At the time, I believed the New York Times and other major news organizations were committed to finding truth. Sadly, I learned that reporters were more committed to bylines and the pursuit of awards. After uncovering irrefutable evidence that many of the Whitewater allegations were inaccurate, I had to question my lying eyes because the Times, Washington Post and other mainstream publications continued to print stories that were, in my view, demonstrably wrong. But it turned out that my sight was 20-20—maybe 20-40 at worst.  Seven years and $70-million dollars later, an Independent Counsel’s final report on Whitewater conceded the allegations that launched investigation had no basis in fact. Monica was a latecomer to the inquiry. And as a matter of public policy, she was irrelevant. Unfortunately, the news media learned nothing from its Whitewater gaffes and irresponsibility in covering the bogus scandal. The Obama Deception is symptomatic of what is happening during the first year of the Obama Presidency. It does not bode well for the future of journalism.