Although Root is not part of the "opposition" Republican governing class in Washington (usually thought of more as a Libertarian than a Republican) and is merely a relatively minor media pundit, it would seem that the Obama motivation for retaliation against him might be his repeated statements to the effect that he was in Obama's purported graduating class at Columbia in the same major (political science), and yet neither he nor any of his classmates have any recollection of Obama from their Columbia days.
http://www.factcheck.org/2010/02/obama-at-columbia-university/
There is no blackmail going on. The establishment has finally been exposed. There are Democrats/Crony Capialists, Socialists/Marxists/Fascists and Conservatives. Two of the three are in bed together.
Wayne Allen Root is, afaik, the source of the story that Obama didn’t attend Columbia.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Wayne+Allen+Root+Obama+and+Columbia+site:freerepublic.com/focus/
Wayne Allen Root is a frequent guest on Bill Cunningham’s Sunday radio show, and maybe he’ll be on the show tonight (especially now).
While I don’t always agree with Wayne Allen Root, because he’s a libertairan, and I’m a conservative, when he has it right he is VERY good, and VERY informative.