As ordinary Americans hold garage sales to pay their mortgages, it appears that vulnerable Republicans are liquidating their dignity to sustain their desperate campaigns. To call Sen. Elizabeth Dole's ad misleading is neither harsh enough nor satisfactorily accurate -- considering its intent, the ad is an outright, willful lie.
At the end of the spot, the viewer is left with the distinct impression that that the woman's voice proclaiming, "There is no God!" is that of Dole's opponent, Kay Hagan -- and it's not. Ms. Hagan is now suing Sen. Dole for defamation and libel, and while I'm no fan of lawsuits, I hope Ms. Hagan gets whatever she's asking for.
A former colleague of mine worked as a senior adviser to Ms. Dole during her unsuccessful bid for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, and she once told me that the sputtering Dole campaign "put the fun in dysfunctional."
Clearly, the fun is gone. The dysfunction, judging by Sen. Dole's shameful tactics, is alive and well.
