Smith and Obama: Illegal Workers and an 'Illegal Aunt'

The weekend's AP report about Barack Obama's "illegal aunt" brought to mind this WW series about Sen. Gordon Smith's company in Eastern Oregon hiring undocumented immigrants.

There are some key differences. The timing of the report on Obama, just 72 hours before Election Day, raised suspicions it's a Republican stink bomb. While Smith called our cover story a "slimeball," it certainly did not involve a leak that may have violated federal law.

But in both stories, illegal immigration is the central issue. And in both cases, the candidate's defense is essentially the same: I didn't know, and the law should prevail.

Do they both have their head in the sand? Is one more culpable than the other? What do Democrats who enjoyed our stories about Smith think about the latest news dealing with Obama's aunt?