I don't really see why everyone is so worked up over this one. The ad is actually a lot milder than some of the political trash-talking we've become inured to lately, and it is deliberately based on an ad the Dems ran against the Reps back in the Johnson era. I didn't think that one was so bad either, but the Reps have been whining about it for years so I'm sure they're all flustered about finally getting their revenge--as if making being a liberal a criminal offense wasn't revenge enough already (see below).

Politics aside, from a purely tactical standpoint, the ad may turn into a big liability for the GOP. With just a few weeks before the election, a major White House scramble to put together a new war strategy now underway, and a deteriorating situation in Iraq, maybe the last thing they want the voters to be exposed to is another reminder of the mess in Mesopotamia.

Political fibrillation is always fascinating to watch. It's like looking at a freshly caught trout thrashing about in the bilge of a boat.