Claude Allen & THE EVIL TWIN THEORY?????

[kpete]

Oh, now this is just too weird.

As you know, we've been following the bizarre case of Claude Allen, former top advisor to President Bush who was arrested a few days ago and booked and charges stemming from a lengthy shoplifting spree.

Now, here late this evening I got an email from TPM Reader WH who directed my attention to today's All Things Considered on NPR in which Michele Norris interviews Michael Fletcher, a reporter with the Post who's been covering the story.

Now, right at about 1:40 into the interview comes this exchange ...

Norris: We should note something, Michael. Apparently Claude Allen has a twin brother?

Fletcher: Yes, he does. He has an identical twin brother who even close friends can’t tell them apart when they see them. And people have seen him and close friends say that Mr. Allen has indicated to them that maybe his brother holds the key to this entire puzzling affair.

Now, I take it I'm not reading too much into this to think that the idea here is that this is a case of mistaken identity in which the virtuous Claude Allen has been nailed for the crimes of his evil twin Floyd.

I have to tell you this new story seems so insane and ridiculous that I have suspect it's actually true. And, no, I'm not entirely kidding. Who could come up with such a story?

Now, through the miracle of the TPM research service, we've acquired these two scans of the two brothers from their High School yearbook, senior and junior year ...




more at:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2006_03_12.php#007891

and:
Now, just to show we're a good sport about all this and willing to play this out to its inane conclusion, here's a passage from tomorrow's piece in the Times ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/politics/14allen.html?_r=2&ei=5094&en=597c9d305272ce2f&hp=&ex=1142312400&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1142312513-rTsmRy/o228lK1tJViCc+w&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[madaboutharry]

1. We really are living in the Twilight Zone.

n/t

[ret5hd]

2. my bet is that...

claude and floyd are VERY deep into financial negotiations as we speak.

[formercia]

3. It was Floyd who was arrested with Claude's fingerprints.

Identical fingerprints, a first in Forensic Science.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. Identical DNA

;-)

[Benhurst]

7. When it comes out they were subjects of the world's first

reciprocal fingertip transplants, you're going to feel mighty silly.

Anything is possible in BushAmerica.

Dubya has been known to believe as many as ten impossible things before breakfast.

:rofl:

[LostinVA]

14. giggle -- maybe Floyd stole THEM too!

[InkAddict]

5. Namesake Ballads for Evil Twins

or fathers/sons

http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/allenssongs.html

Come all young boys, you may take warning,
Be careful how you go astray,
Or you might be like poor Claude Allen,
and have his awful debt to pay.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. I'm loving this story

Suppose Floyd has always been the "bad" twin, growing resentful about his brother's fancy job moralizing for the Bush White House (Claude's always been the smart one, the good one, Mommy loves him more). Floyd's a crook, and always has been, so he starts taking off these stores. Gets caught, and what does he do? Says "I'm Claude Allen." And why shouldn't he?

This is utterly bizarro. Only during the bizarro Bush Administration could we have a plausible evil twin scenario. Repeat: a plausible evil twin scenario.

[formercia]

19. Coming to Court TV soon

makes a great diversion....

[zbdent]

8. Maybe Claude Allen is buying into the old prejudice to get a "break"

You know, some idjit says "You people all look alike to me . . ."

The evidence will come out . . . just compare when "Floyd" was appearing at Target and where Floyd was at the time . . .

Also, this probably solidifies him with the Righties, who spread all kinds of crap about "that French store that disses veterans" . . .

[seemunkee]

9. Does he have a goatee?

Anyone who watches Star Trek knows that the evil twin has a goatee

[nuxvomica]

11. Good point!

:rofl:

[Beetwasher]

23. Hmm, You May Be On To Something

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:b108Volpbq63zM:http://boulter.com/blog/content

[PA Democrat]

10. Claude Allen used his credit card to make many of these purchases

and then received a credit to his credit card when he returned stolen items. So unless his twin brother had access to Claude's credit card, the story is pure BS. And if his brother WAS using his credit card, Claude had to have known what was going on based upon the statements on his account.

[0007]

12. Either we have one hell of a bullshit artist or we have a security system

that is on the same intelligent level as 911 & the Iraq debacle.

What I find unbelievable more than anything else. Is the lenght of time this story and the results has been hushed up from the main stream media!!

[TallahasseeGrannie]

13. This story will be a

mini-series within the year.

[LostinVA]

15. "GOP Gemini"

[TallahasseeGrannie]

16. Perfect!

[LostinVA]

17. hehehehehhe -- thanks, Grans!

[skypilot]

18. This guy might just turn out to be...

...an even bigger piece of shit than I originally thought. Is he going to sit back and let his brother take the rap. I don't buy this evil twin theory. Let's just pin it on the "bad" brother because he's used to being in trouble. That would be really low.

[formercia]

20. He learned it from the best, or worst as the case may be...

He learned it from the G.O.P.......

[ck4829]

21. Oh God. If the citizens of this country fall for this...

It's time to stick a fork in the US, because it's done.

Conservative

[AzDar]

22. Civil war in Iraq; economy in the toilet; shoplifting at Target...

They won't take responsibilty for ANYTHING, will they?

[goclark]

24. That Karl Rove gets slicker every day!

This is the bottom of the insane barrel for me.

Didn't Claude almost admit that he did it?

Why would he resign if he knew he did not do it?

[VaYallaDawg]

25. I think I just fell thru the looking glass, and the March Hare is

going to serve tea. Make mine a stiff scotch. This is beyond bizarre!!!