This is perhaps the most bizarre attack on Rick Perry to come so far.Hugh Hewtitt has a very good take down of it. It shows the extent to which the Democrats will go to attack Republicans. Stephanie McCrummen, a Washington Post based reporter formerly stationed in Nairobi has a history of fanning racial flames out of context.In a move that was genuinely supported by people of all races in North Carolina, McCrummen earlier this year tried to paint tea party backed school board members as racist for restructuring a school busing program in the Raleigh area. Again, there were a large number of black residents supportive of the measure, but McCrummen’s reporting failed to get into that.Now, she’s out with a story about Rick Perry and his dad using a hunting camp with a big rock on it that has the word “Ni**erhead” on it. Rick Perry’s father painted over the rock. At some point, they turned the rock over so it couldn’t be seen.The Washington Post story makes clear that Perry didn’t like it, that his dad painted over it, that they weren’t responsible for it, and that all seven people who who saw it remember it in the 80’s, might have seen it in 2008 (but really are not sure), and did not associate it with either Rick Perry or his father.As Hugh Hewitt notes:

Many, many people were interviewed for the story. Only seven recall seeing the rock, and not one of them connect Rick Perry to it, nor do any of the people –either from among these seven or who knows how many more were contacted for the piece– tie Rick Perry to offensive comments, language or actions. Though a lot of space is devoted to this story, no detailed reporting on what the seven saw and when they saw it is included, which allows for incredible supposition about the ambiguity to take root. Thus a story that could have major implications for the presidential campaign in 2012 is built on anonymous sources whose stories aren’t even detailed.It is a drive-by slander.

It also seems to be a slander Herman Cain is picking up and running with as a way to get into second place.But Stephanie McCrummen gets to use the word ni**ger 8 times in the story and connect it to Rick Perry.