I Was Afraid Of This

Now that it's all over but the conventions and we are firmly into the general election campaign, it's even worse than I thought it was during the primaries. McCain is running a dirty, smear-infested campaign (mostly through surrogates, of course), and Obama is trying to be "above it all."

Gad.

John Aravosis is reporting on this phenomenon, as though it were a surprise (well, Aravosis is no more surprised than I am, actually):

John McCain again today basically accused Obama of treason. Within that attack is the usual Republican blood lie about Democrats - that they hate America, hate the troops, etc. - with a bit of subtle racism thrown in (playing on Obama's African heritage, and on the fact that some of his ancestor's were Muslim, all adding up to someone "less than American").

He also notes that even Josh Marshall is getting fed up with the Obama campaign's inertia:

With so many instances of corruption and influence-peddling around him and whatever problems with the candidate that are keeping the campaign from letting reporters interview him anymore, John McCain is now again charging Obama with what amounts to soft treason -- wanting to lose the war in Iraq in order to make himself president. The lack of any consistent lines of attack against McCain is becoming palpable.

As Aravosis points out, when Marshall is that publicly annoyed, we notice.

Digby points out that Mary Matalin seems to be coordinating the swiftboating:

Her recent modesty doesn't let her off the hook, obviously. Regardless of her official job description, that quote in the NY Times shows that she enthusiastically in the effort to put Corsi's lies into the mainstream. And she certainly knew what the "potential interest" would be of rightwing neanderthals and the rich Republican propagandists who pay for bulk orders, in a book called "Obamanation." All of her Villager friends in the media sure did help her get it "out there."

And of course, as BooMan points out, there's no lack of points of attack.