Everyone knew Barack Obama’s history-making campaign was sure to bring out the inveterate racists and scandalmongers. In a nation where even liberal politicians tend to be lock-jawed, white, patrician statesmen (yes, I’m talking about you, John Kerry), a black man whose father was a (non-practicing) Muslim is going to attract cheap attacks from his enemies. Even Hillary Clinton’s campaign was not above leaking photos of Obama in traditional Muslim dress in the hope that the nation would be frightened off by his exotic appearance.

To counter such rumors, Obama’s campaign has launched FightTheSmears.com, a one-stop-shop for getting the truth – or at least the campaign’s spin on the truth – behind the smears that have plagued Obama’s run for the presidency. So is Obama a Muslim? Is he even a U.S. citizen? Now you can find out for yourself. (For the lazy, the answers are no and yes, respectively.)

Problem is, Obama’s attempt to be proactive may actually give such rumors a wider audience. For example, if you don’t listen to conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh, or read conservative blogs, you may not have heard the rumor about a tape surfacing proving that Michelle Obama allegedly used the racist slur, “whitey,” during a speech in 2004. Personally, I had no idea that such a rumor existed. Now, however, the story has been picked up by the mainstream media.

The Obama campaign’s response, by the way, is less than skillful. “No such tape exists,” says the website. Not: “Michelle Obama denies ever using ever using the word.” By refocusing the debate on the tape itself and not the accusation, Obama’s campaign will only fuel speculation on the rumor and no doubt invite more controversy to its doorstep.