I have to disagree with Paglia and give her a rap on this one. It was not "overkill" by conservative radio commentators that determined whether they "gained traction" -- it was a firewall erected by the MSM against charges and questions raised about anything by people on the right.
Eventually, it will seep into Camille Paglia's consciousness the degree to which "serious journalism" in fact refuses even to look at certain issues, out of strategic concern for their own pet issues and politicians.
Certainly the media covered for Obama, but Paglia is not a reporter. She's a teacher, a writer, a columnist, and an openly partisan Democrat.
I agree with her take on "blathering, fanatical overkill" by the "right-wing" with regard to the birth certificate issue. An insistent case should have been made that, given his exotic childhood, and the contradictions and holes in his published memoir, the public had the right to see the original long-form birth certificate, just as McCain had produced his. Instead, thanks to many on the internet, it devolved into loud, unsourced accusations that he was born in Kenya, based on nothing more than some laughable writing and a photoshopped graphic in the notoriously unprofessional African press. Throw in some bogus graphics analysis on the digital cert, self-promoting opportunists such as Philip Berg and Andy Martin, and various other nonsense, and it turned into a three-ring circus in a fever swamp that credible journalists, bloggers and talk show hosts refused to touch.