US presidential contender Barack Obama has set up a website specially dedicated to debunking rumours generated by conservative bloggers in the US.

Obama has been dogged by rumours circulating on the internet throughout his campaign to secure the democratic nomination.

The website, fighthesmears.com, has been launched to tackle the constant smears levelled at Obama, the latest of which alleges that his wife Michelle used the racially-charged word "whitey".

The site is a simple blue and white affair, sporting the obligatory American eagle in the top right-hand corner.

The homepage lists a number of smears circulated by bloggers. Obama tackles them all head on by revealing the truth and visitors to the site are urged to "spread the the truth" through an email campaign.

Obama's birth certificate was posted on the site yesterday to disprove that he is not a natural-born citizen of the US; the 47-year-old was born in Hawaii.

Some critics have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the site, saying that by tackling the rumours head on Obama is only adding attention to them by dignifying them with a response.

However, the influence of blogs, particularly in American politics, makes it increasingly untenable for candidates to ignore what goes on in the blogosphere.

Other accusations leveled at Obama say that he is a Muslim, that he was sworn into office on the Koran and that he did not say the Pledge of Allegiance with his hand over his heart. All are dubunked on the site.

www.fightthesmears.com

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