CHICAGO, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The man behind mutterings that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is a Muslim -- he's not -- emerged from dark cyberspace to bright TV spotlights.
Andy Martin, whose news release statement "Obama is a Muslim who has concealed his religion" took on a life of its own on the Web, was given a forum on Fox News Channel last week to make his assertions about Obama unchallenged, The New York Times reported.
The Times said an examination of legal documents and election filings, along with interviews with acquaintances, revealed Martin, 62, is a man who has generated animosity for more than three decades among political leaders, lawyers and judges for his titillating but not necessarily factual claims.
While not a lawyer -- he went to law school but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked -- Martin has filed many suits and taken several runs at public office. Based in Chicago, he says he's a writer focusing on his anti-Obama Web site and press releases.
"Everybody uses my research as a takeoff point," Martin told the Times, adding that some take liberties with his writing and "exaggerate them to suit their own fantasies."
When questions were raised last week about Martin's appearance and claims on "Hannity's America" on Fox News Channel, the program's producer said Martin was expressing his opinion and not necessarily fact.
