Yep, she made the whole thing up. Ashley Todd, the 20-year-old white McCain volunteer who claimed she was attacked in a Pittsburgh parking lot by a large black man yesterday, then further claimed he carved "B" into her cheek because apparently the sight of her McCain paraphernalia set him into an uncontrollable pro–Barack Obama rage, has confessed that she fabricated the entire story, a Pittsburgh news station reports. We can't say this is exactly surprising, considering that (a) the "B" on her cheek was backward, implying she did it herself in a mirror, (b) earlier today, police said that her statements were inconsistent and asked her to take a polygraph test, and (c) it was evident from her blog and MySpace page that she was kind of a loon. However! What is surprising is that Fox News, of all places, has declared this incident and the publicity surrounding it the final nail in the coffin of the McCain campaign. From Fox executive vice-president John Moody's blog, earlier today:

…this incident could become a watershed event in the 11 days before the election. If Ms. Todd’s allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee. If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.

Amazing. Not since The Crucible have the lies of a virtual teenage girl been able to bring a man down so thoroughly.

Police: Campaign Worker Admits Making Up Story [KDKA]
Moment of Truth [Fox News]