LEFT WING MEDIA PALE-IN COMPARISON

The posting on the internet of a photo of Sen. Obama in traditional Kenyan garb and the assertion by right wing radicals that he is a closeted Muslim is reprehensible. But, to date, even the kooks on the right have steered clear of defaming either of the democratic candidate's children. Attacks from the left wing bloggers followed up by the main stream media repeating despicable charges aimed at the minor children of Gov. Palin are so beyond decency that it would not be surprising to see the right wing of the blogosphere respond in kind. As tempting as it is, this response would be a mistake.

To their credit, both democratic candidates have made strong statements asserting that children should be off limits. It would be hoped that they would go even further and address those hate sites such as dailykos directly. Especially as Obama lent them credibility by speaking at their convention.

The McCain campaign has announced that they have set up an anti-smear website and they may address the issue directly at the convention. Their strategy going forward will be to ignore the libelous attacks and keep presenting their positions in a positive way. It will be interesting to see if the fundamental fairness of Americans asserts itself and there is a backlash that will ultimately benefit the Republican ticket.

It is clear that the addition of Sarah Palin has energized the Republicans especially those of a more conservative bent. Whether this will result in a larger turnout and attract a sufficient number of independent voters to result in victory on Nov. 4 is not as clear.

The Edge