Kagan: Target of Gay Smear Campaign?

Did a conservative blogger try to sabotage Elena Kagan's Supreme Court shot by calling her gay, or was he simply writing what everyone was thinking? In a post on its website, The Week tries to separate fact from fiction.

Ever since Ben Domenech, a former Bush administration aide and fired Washington Post reporter, referred to Solicitor General Elena Kagan as "openly gay" last week -- and the White House immediately responded that she's not gay -- rumors have swirled around the possible Supreme Court nominee. The Week reports that conservative blogger Robert Stacy McCain wrote on his site that Domenech didn't out Kagan but "her gay-friendly liberal friends" did.

The post also quotes Gawker's Alex Pareene, who says the rumor may have been spread intentionally to bring down Kagan, especially since Domenech's motives are questionable. But Pareene questions the White House's swiftness in asserting Kagan is not gay -- it's not like "being a successful lesbian is a crime in Barack Obama's America."

Click here to read the full post.