All politicians stretch the truth, massage it into the best fit with their message.  But, let's face it, John McCain is running a campaign almost entirely based on straight up lies.  Not just exaggerations or half truths but the sort of straight up, up-is-down mind-blowers we've become so accustomed to from the current occupants of the White House.  And today McCain comes out with this rancid, race-baiting ad based on another lie.  Willie Horton looks mild by comparison.  (And remember, President George H.W. Bush never ran the Willie Horton ad himself.  It was an outside group.  He wasn't willing to degrade himself that far.)  As TPM Reader JM said below, at least Horton actually was released on a furlough.  This is ugly stuff.  And this is an ugly person.  There's clearly no level of sleaze this guy won't stoop to to win this election.

And let's be frank.  He might win it.  This is clearly a testing time for Obama supporters.  But I want to return to a point I made a few years ago during the Social Security battle with President Bush.  Winning and losing is never fully in one's control — not in politics or in life.  What is always within our control is how we fight and bear up under pressure.  It's easy to get twisted up in your head about strategy and message and optics.  But what is already apparent is that John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest and race-baiting campaign of our lifetimes.  So let's stopped being shocked and awed by every new example of it.  It is undignified.  What can we do?  We've got a dangerously reckless contender for the presidency and a vice presidential candidate who distinguished her self by abuse of office even on the comparatively small political stage of Alaska.  They've both embraced a level of dishonesty that disqualifies them for high office.  Democrats owe it to the country to make clear who these people are.