Pass The Popcorn

Editor & Publisher writes that Cynthia McKinney is suing the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for libel.

Meanwhile, Ed Morrissey notes that McKinney might want to pay more attention to her campaign than her lawsuit: Hank Johnson is blowing her out by 15 to 25 percent in the current polls:

This is not to say that Johnson is a conservative’s dream. People should check out Johnson’s website to see hi s positions on the issues, which correspond very closely to the Democratic Party platform, such as it is these days. His voice will lend itself to increased spending and increased taxes. However, one can expect no less from this particular district, as those policies find great favor among McKinney’s constituents. This district will not turn Republican in the next few weeks.

What Johnson will bring to Congress is a responsible voice for that constituency, a voice that will garner attention for the right reasons. I will likely oppose most of what Johnson supports, and vice versa, but Johnson will at least have my respect and that of the rest of Congress. Johnson will not use his office to turn himself into some kind of pop-culture martyr. The voters of his district deserve to have a responsible Representative, and it appears that enough of them agree.

That’s good to see.

Update: OK, don’t pass the popcorn:

A Democratic congresswoman from Georgia is not suing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for libel, contrary to a report in [Editor & Publisher] yesterday.

U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney has not in fact filed suit against the Journal-Constitution, according to attorney Tom Clyde, who is representing the paper.

Yesterday, it was incorrectly reported that McKinney filed charges against AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker and Publisher John Mellott for an editorial column that ran in its July 30 edition about the congresswoman’s alleged altercation with police.

Rather, McKinney’s lawyer, J.M. Raffauf, sent a letter to the newspaper on July 31 saying that the July 30 column by AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker contained material that Raffauf says was “untrue, defamatory and libelous.” Raffauf and McKinney have also demanded a retraction, as well as an editorial in which the attorney says the paper should “repudiate its libelous statements.”

The letter, obtained by E&P today, details the segments of the AJC column with which McKinney takes issue. In one part, Raffauf says Tucker’s suggestion that “When he stopped [McKinney], the officer said, she slugged him with her cellphone” is “a false allegation not supported by any witness or any other evidence,” and that Tucker is “maliciously attempting to spin this into a felony by falsely alleging that she assaulted the officer with a deadly weapon.”

The letter also refutes the part of Tucker’s column that said the congresswoman “suggested that President Bush had known in advance about the Sept. 11 attacks but did nothing to stop them so his friends could profit from the ensuing war.” Raffauf states that “The award-winning documentary film ‘American Blackout’ definitively exposed this statement by Tucker as false, as the Congresswoman never made this statement even though Tucker continues to assert that she did.”

Thanks for clearing that up, E&P.