Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Here is a classic from PolWire today:

Mike Huckabee "distanced his campaign yesterday from an independent group's efforts to promote his candidacy through calls to the homes of caucusgoers in Iowa and through mailings," the New York Times reports.

The effort, led by Common Sense Issues Inc., "is the latest example of a private group's using its resources to try to influence the presidential contest, and some rival campaigns have said the calls are spreading negative information about their candidates."

Said Huckabee: "It's not on behalf of my campaign. I don't know who is behind it. We've asked them to stop.[ed: em mine] I don't think it's helping us. In fact, it's hurting us, and it's not part of our campaign. We have publicly repudiated the tactics because they do not represent our kind of campaigning."

So, exactly how did you ask them to stop? Did you send them a notice? How did you know where to send it.

This is crap. More and more in politics this is becoming the norm, whether it is push polling McCain's "black love child" or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (sic), these secondary organizations are doing the dirty work for these campaigns. They may not be official campaign arms, but they are always controlled by people who are in or close to the campaign. Huckabee is lying. He could end this groups activities tomorrow, but he won't. Plausibly deniable mudslinging is part of what is killing our political system, and don't think for a minute these people aren't responsible.

You condemn their tactics publicly, but when you want to drive up the negatives of your opponent, you look the other way.