From 'straight talk' to smear campaign

A feisty editorial in the St. Petersburg Times righteously slams the putrid, Rovian McCain campaign:

The Straight Talk Express has taken a nasty turn into the gutter. John McCain has resorted to lies and distortions in what sounds like an increasingly desperate attempt to slow down Sen. Barack Obama by raising questions about his patriotism. Instead of taking the Democrat down a few notches, these baseless attacks are raising more questions about the Republican's campaign and his ability to control his temper. [...]

Virtually all candidates, including Obama, distort their opponent's record. But McCain has gone beyond reasonable bounds. The self-described "happy warrior'' in the 2000 presidential campaign has turned sour in 2008, and the candor and straight talk that once made him such an attractive candidate are rapidly disappearing.

Disappearing? They've gone, straight up Karl's poopchute. McBush is now a bagman for the most corrupt administration ever, who are using him to keep from being investigated and thrown into prison should the Dems take over the presidency and the majority this fall.

Update: Joe at AmericaBlog agrees. I can remove the tinfoil now. ☺
More, via MarketWatch:

With Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike questioning the increasingly nasty and desperate tone of John McCain's campaign, the Democratic National Committee today released a web ad called "Desperate Times." The ad highlights the fact that, despite promising to "wage a respectful campaign," McCain has resorted to questioning Senator Obama's patriotism and launching false and misleading attacks that have been widely debunked. His campaign has stooped so low that one of McCain's former advisors called his most recent ad "childish" and said the campaign's strategy "diminishes John McCain." [The Atlantic, 7/30/08]