I ask because over the weekend blogger and WashTimes columnist Andrew Breitbart was back hyping the tall tale of Kenneth Gladney, the conservative African-American activist who was reportedly “beaten” by “union thugs” outside of town hall forum hosted in St. Louis in August. At the time, the right-wing noise machine went bonkers over the dubious Gladney tale, claiming it showcased how vicious and violent unions really are. And Breitbart himself published an unintentionally hilarious column headlined “I Am Kenneth Gladney,” in which Breitbart immortalized Gladney's “horrifying” tale, and also lied by claiming the White House had “directed” “union thugs” to rough up anti-health care protesters.

The problem for Breitbart and company (and yes, this is a chronic problem for Brietbart), is that the facts didn't stand up, and the lavish tale of the Gladney “beating” quickly collapsed. (Bloggers were sure he had been rushed to the hospital clinging to his life. Not true. Not even close.) Even a former St. Louis pal of Gladney's suspects the incident was seized upon by Gladney's lawyer/agent as a way to make a quick buck. (Was it Gladney's attorney who told him, days after the incident, to show up a right-wing rally in a wheelchair even though Gladney had no discernible injuries?)

Yet there was Breitbart over this last weekend tweeting about the vicious Gladney “hate crime,” which is interesting because the Gladney episode (i.e. the savage “beating”) was captured on video, and the St. Louis police know who the suspected culprits are. Yet here we are nearly ten weeks after the alleged beat-down, which according to right-wing blogs left Gladney blooded (fact: it did not), and nobody in connection with the “hate crime” has been formerly charged.

As of right now, St. Louis prosecutors don't seem to share Breitbart's conviction that a hate crime, or any crime, was committed by union “thugs” that night at a St. Louis town hall forum. (And of course, even if prosecutors do someday file charges, defendants will have a chance to defend themselves, or would Breitbart prefer that right be waved?)

So yes, if Breitbart has some super-secret evidence from the Gladney case, by all means he should share it with the St. Louis police department. If not, I'd suggest Breitbart stop advertising his ignorance. Then again, he's sort of turned that routine into his full-time job, so I suspect we'll be be hearing much more martyrdom talk about Kenneth Gladney.

UPDATED: And if Breitbart's such a Gladney fan, why doesn't he pay the overdue bills and get the alleged beating victim's website back up and running? After all, it was Breitbart who wrote “I am Kenneth Gladney.”

Touching.

UPDATED: Breitbart responds (relentlessly) via Twitter. As expected, he doesn't dispute a single fact posted here. Maybe he's saving all the good stuff for the St. Louis PD.