Internet breeds rumors on Obama, Palin

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- From Barack Obama's Kenyan birthplace to the library books Sarah Palin tried to ban, the U.S. presidential race has spawned a host of Internet rumors.

There are other false stories, CNN reports. Rumors disseminated by e-mail and blogs include a report that Obama's Democratic running mate, Joe Biden, plans to resign in favor of Hillary Clinton after the election and that John McCain told a "60 Minutes" interviewer that he deliberately targeted Vietnamese women and children as a U.S. Navy pilot.

Obama was, in fact, born in Hawaii, and Palin during her eight years as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, wasn't cleaning out the public library.

Rich Buhler, founder of the Web site truthorfiction.com, said that this election has been especially fruitful for rumor mongering. He said that the two non-traditional candidates, Obama and Palin, have spawned the most.

"He is new, he is a threat," Buhler told CNN. "When McCain named Sarah Palin, she became a phenomenon, so there were immediately a number of rumors about her and now it's the Obama-Palin hit parade."