Obama Launches fightthesmears.com

TIME.com reports that Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has launched an online anti-rumor war-room, "a Web-based rumor clearinghouse, located at fightthesmears.com, in which it hopes all the shady stories about Obama's faith, his family and his rumored connections with controversial figures can go to die."

The rules of Internet campaigns are being re-written again in 2008. Obama saw the enormous success of online fundraising and voter mobilization and now wants to see this technology and community put to use to stamp out lies in the blogs, emails and even in traditional/mainstream media.

Supporters may find this unified effort empowering.