About three weeks ago, Ron Rosenbaum of Pajamas Media reported that "a well-connected media person" told him that "everyone" in the political press corps knew that the Los Angeles Times was "sitting on a story, all wrapped up and ready to go about what is a potentially devastating sexual scandal involving a leading presidential candidate."

The LA Times denied it, but the bizarre nature of the rumor — Rosenbaum charged that "the elite media knew about it and was keeping silent about it" — left a lot of people scratching their heads.

Several bloggers, including Mickey Kaus, guessed the candidate must be a Democrat; if it was a Republican, the bloggers agreed, the "elite media" wouldn't hesitate to run with the story. But which Democrat? Well, if it was a "leading" candidate, that boiled it down to either New York Sen. Hillary Rodham, Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards or Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Now comes the latest from Robert Novak:

Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed.
This word-of-mouth among Democrats makes Obama look vulnerable and Clinton look prudent.

A towering mountain, verily an Everest of Irony, looms before us. Would Hillary Clinton dare suggest that marital infidelity renders a man unfit for the presidency? (Wait until R. Emmett Tyrrell hears this one; he'll choke on his martini.)

As to the truth of the rumor, Allahpundit at Hot Air says:

I don't buy it; [Obama] doesn't strike me as a skirt-chaser. Which means it's either a financial scandal — not a subject Her Majesty would want to introduce into the campaign — or maybe … his prior drug use?

Obama fired back at the Clinton campaign:

"If the purpose of this shameless item was to daunt or discourage me or supporters of our campaign from challenging and changing the politics of Washington, it will fail. In fact, it will only serve to steel our resolve," the Illinois senator said. He urged Clinton to "either make public any and all information referred to in the item, or concede the truth: that there is none."

Expect this to escalate. The Iowa caucus is six weeks from Tuesday, and even though Clinton has a 22-point lead in national polls, she's neck-and-neck in a three-way fight in Iowa.

"Everyone knows" that the Clinton opposition-research crew is the best in the business. They just brought back veteran operative Sidney Blumenthal, and you don't have to be part of the "elite media" to know that Team Hillary doesn't plan on losing this election.

-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times