Something's Fishy

OK, Im not a doctor, and I'm not a detective, but this story that broke today doesn't ring true to me.

In brief, a 20 year-old campaign worker from Texas reported that she was robbed of $60 at a Pennsylvania ATM machine, and when the 6 foot 4 inch dark-skinned male saw that she had a McCain bumper sticker on her car, he beat her and carved a "B" into her cheek to teach her a lesson.

Why am I suspicious? Several reasons. First of all, the "B" is backwards as if carved when looking in the mirror. Second, there is absolutely no swelling or redness in her black eye (bottom photo). Compare to the person with an actual black eye (top photo). Third, there were no witnesses. Fourth, there is no surveillance video or ATM imagery, but this could surface as the investigation proceeds. Fifth, even though the woman was apparently punched, kicked and maimed with a potentially filthy knife, she refused medical treatment.

Please note that I'm not saying that this is not a real incident, and that this woman is not a true victim. All I am saying is that the story just doesn't add up yet and should not be exploited by either political party until the full facts are known.

Updates: TMZ reports that police have serious questions about the authenticity of the attack. Michelle Malkin even says the story "smells weird". And The Smoking Gun reports that the alleged victim was blogging before and after the attack.

Update: As you know by now, the entire incident was a hoax.