Did Anyone Think the GOP WOULDN'T Get Dirty?

[mondo joe]

Whether the affair allegations are true or not, the GOP was clearly going to go down and dirty and try to smear the candidate.

Any Dem candidate is going to have to be able to weather this crap, or there will be no Dem candidate to vote for.

This is just the start.

[killbotfactory]

1. I'm totally shocked and awed

[mouse7]

2. It could have been Lehane, too.

Notice, I'm saying Lehane, not Clark. I don't think Clark would do this sort of thing, but I wouldn't put it past Chris Lehane to torpedo Kerry's campaign on his way to the unemployment line.

[mondo joe]

3. If that were the case why not do it before Clark dropped out?

Wouldn't it have been the card to play earlier?

[nobiz]

4. Clark, Lehane, and slime

Much as I hate to think Clark is capable of doing this, I'll take kos's word for it that Clark has been talking about this for a while. We don't need Democrats throwing mud on each other and helping the GOP.

[Adjoran]

5. I thought I was prepared for dirt

but apparently not. I'm reeling from this.

I voted Edwards in the primary, but was ready to go to work for Kerry for the general. Still am, too.

I need some time away from the news first, though.

[SheilaT]

6. Anyone who thinks this won't be the dirtiest

campaign ever is hopelessly naive.

Perhaps the only thing to be surprised at is that the guns are now drawn on Kerry before he has the nomination totally sewn up. No doubt the ultimate plan is to keep all the Dems in disarray. Convince them one and only one man is the "electable" one, then smear him once it's too late to nominate someone else.

Which raises an even more interesting question, which is what if, between now and the convention, the presumed nominee (at this point Kerry) comes to be seen as unsuitable to be the nominee? Is there a mechanism to nominate someone else instead? Would that even be a good idea, or should we faithfully stick to the man who did so well in the primaries?

Of course, it's still early enough in the primary season that Edwards or Dean could conceivably still get enough delegates to either be nominated themselves or insure a brokered convention.