Why Did Apple Rumor Get Even a Nibble?

Did you hear? Fresh from his Iowa victory and playing the electric bass on Jay Leno, Mike Huckabee might leave the presidential field to start a record label with Apple(AAPL Quote).

Who did the Business Press Maven hear that from? Well, from a Web site I had never seen before, of course, so let's call it "an intriguing rumor." Got that? Intriguing.

It's not crazy, or probably false. It is the product of the falsest of modern prophets: someone braying on the Internet. Nope, none of that. Interesting. Now let's move on quickly. While the deal to start a record label with Huckabee is interesting, it faces some extremely steep hurdles...

They Just Don't Get Dumb Apple Rumors!

OK, I'm just goofing with you. Here's the reality.

Mike Huckabee did win in Iowa, and he did play a mean bass on Leno. But the rumor was about rapper Jay-Z starting the record label at Apple. The Business Press Maven just adapted it to point out the verbal constructions that the business media use to justify a completely useless rumor from a cockamamie Web site and use it as legitimate foundation for an article that subtly twists from acknowledging the talk as rumor, to saying the rumor is different (which is not to be mistaken as true) to noting soberly that the deal might "face hurdles," which makes it sound like you are treating the talk soberly, allowing you to go on. And on.