Hillary stokes Muslim rumor despite knowing for a fact that Obama is not Muslim UPDATE [x2 VIDEO]

The takeaway for me from the 60 Minutes Ohio story is that the Muslim rumor about Barack Obama has become pervasive. It filtered all the way down to a guy in Chillicothe who lost his job at a paper plant. Just where do you think he got this information? And why does he believe it to the point that he has to be corrected by Steve Kroft in a nationally televised interview?

Schoenholtz told Kroft he is leaning towards Obama, but that there were a couple of issues he was “not too clear” on.

Asked what they were, Schoenholtz said, “Well, I'm hearin' he doesn't even know the National Anthem, you know. He wouldn't use the Holy Bible. He's got his own beliefs, got the Muslim beliefs. Couple issues that bothers me at heart.”

“You know that's not true,” Kroft remarked.

“No. I’m just…this is what I've been told,” he replied.

And of course Hillary does her best to stoke the rumor without sounding like she's stoking the rumor.

“You don't believe that Senator Obama's a Muslim?” Kroft asked Sen. Clinton.

“Of course not. I mean, that, you know, there is no basis for that. I take him on the basis of what he says. And, you know, there isn't any reason to doubt that,” she replied.

“You said you'd take Senator Obama at his word that he's not…a Muslim. You don't believe that he's…,” Kroft said.

“No. No, there is nothing to base that on. As far as I know,” she said.

“It's just scurrilous…?” Kroft inquired.

“Look, I have been the target of so many ridiculous rumors, that I have a great deal of sympathy for anybody who gets, you know, smeared with the kind of rumors that go on all the time,” Clinton said.

She takes Senator Obama at his word. She doesn't denounce the rumor, neither does she reject it, just that she takes him at his word. Despite the fact that Chelsea attended the same church service as Michelle Obama in January. Despite the fact that Hillary raised money for Obama in 2004 and still has a picture of Obama's family on her desk.

Asked if she likes Sen. Obama, Clinton said, "Sure I do. You know, I liked him before we got into this election. I campaigned for him. I met him and his children. In fact, I went to Chicago to campaign and raise money for him. And we had a picture taken at the event, this was in 2004."

"And I put the picture in my office. It's still there. I look at Barack and Michelle and their daughters every day when I'm in my office. I think he's an extraordinary person. And we were friends before, and we will be friends afterwards," she added.

I'd say Hillary could have been a tad more definitive on the Muslim rumor. Either way, this thing has gotten out there, and now that Steve Kroft has corrected one voter in person, I'd say Obama picks up a vote in Chillicothe, and a few more among 60 Minutes viewers. Which might be why Hillary just sorta, you know, takes Obama's word on it. As far as I know.

UPDATE - what readers are saying....as far as I know.

The Clintons can't just be defeated on Tuesday, they have to be put away for good. They have to be humiliated and any shreds of a legacy or reputation burnt and buried. There is talk that if Clinton looses the nomination she will become majority leader in the Senate. No way in HELL we can allow this. If this becomes an issue I want to make sure every Obama supporter calls, emails, writes, harasses their Senators to ensure Clinton isn't allowed to get to this position. There is not one redeeming feature about the Clintons. I can't even express my disgust at them with out resorting to vulgarities.