If it's unhinged, it must be liberals

YOU ARE VISITING THE OLD MALKIN(S)WATCH. THAT'S FANTASTIC. PLEASE VISIT THE NEW MALKIN(S)WATCH WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE.

Malkin calls this an anti-war hoax.

Talk about spin on Michelle's part.

"You should find Saddam and run him over with your tank ... I love you and don't die. Love, Kodee."

And this from the Chicago Tribune:

In southern Illinois, the tale began in 2003, when student reporter Michael Brenner said he was handed a letter from a little girl saying she that saw an anti-war protest on the Southern Illinois University campus and that it bothered her because her dad was a soldier.

This is a terrible hoax, and probably nonpartisan (the "little girl" also expresses some childlike anger at President Bush), but if it is partisan, it sure sounds a lot like the rah-rah, heartstring-tugging astroturf put out by the Right in the early days of the war.

Update: Anti-war, pro-war, whatever, maybe there should have been some clues for the student writers that might have tipped somebody off. From the Daily Egyptian web site, various Kodee Kennings bon mots (meaux?):

They [the Blackhawks] skate and carry big sticks maybe like that presadent in history.

Theres this thing that I hang coats on that looks like a dragin wen the lights are turned out.

We played batleship and Carson and me won. I think his dad forgot to think like a soldier for a minit. It's okay becuse he's had it rough.

Jack had a birthday and hes got one foot in a grave.

Ges what dad I lost a tooth. The tooth farys rates haven't gone up so I'm holding out. I figyer she'll evenchly have to give up and give the extra quarter.

You kno what last week was a fun week. So much stuff hapened. If you have to pee you shold do that before you read any more becuse its alot.

Oh yeah. An eight-year-old writes better comedy than Brad Stine. I can see why this hoax was tough to sniff out.

Meanwhile, having looked through the archives, the only thing remotely anti-war about the Kenningsology columns was the letter to President Bush, unless of course being reminded that some children have to say goodbye to their parents is somehow anti-war propaganda. That doesn't excuse the ridiculous negligence of the Daily Egyptian staff, of course, but considering that the same day a Kenningsology column ran another one ran called "How the Liberals Stole Christmas" I'm not sure that the DE is a bastion of the liberal media.