Lovely

This is the kind of people we're up against this year, folks. The next time one of your Democrat friends bemoans the ruthlessness of the campaign, or complains that the Democrats shouldn't sink to that level, make them read this article and then ask them if they still feel we should take the high ground. And if they don't immediately reverse themselves and agree that we must win by any means necessary (and legal), administer several sharp raps on their heads until they wake up to reality.

Karl Rove in a Corner | Joshua Green:

"If this year stays true to past form, the campaign will get nastier in the closing weeks, and without anyone's quite registering it, Rove will be right back in his element. He seems to understand -- indeed, to count on -- the media's unwillingness or inability, whether from squeamishness, laziness, or professional caution, ever to give a full estimate of him or his work. It is ultimately not just Rove's skill but his character that allows him to perform on an entirely different plane. Along with remarkable strategic skills, he has both an understanding of the media's unstated self-limitations and a willingness to fight in territory where conscience forbids most others.

Rove isn't bracing for a close race. He's depending on it. "

The Swift Boat Shitheads for Profit episode wasn't the worst of it (and if you haven't heard, we'll be seeing "SBSfP, Part 2: More Assholery and Outrageous Lies about Kerry's Vietnam Service" shortly, though the Kossacks have been waging a kickass war on Sinclair Broadcasting to blunt the attack as much as possible). Repug efforts to disenfranchise voters and to sabotage the huge voter registration success of the Democrats have been hitting local news in Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, and, well, pretty much all over the damn place, but even though it's good that they're getting busted, it's probably too late to mend the damage done to voter registrations.

There are 19 days left in this election, John Kerry and John Edwards kicked ass in all 4 debates, the electorate got a chance to see Kerry looking downright fucking presidential, the Iraq war continues to go to hell, Dick Cheney scares the shit out of everyone, George Bush is lucky if he doesn't actually drool all over himself, and the Administration is so obsessed with power, they're not going down without the holy mother of all fights, so if you don't think things are about to get truly nasty, you are indeed smoking some high-grade crack.