When attack dog political groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth unleash a blitz of sleazy negative mailers and TV ads, the opponent who benefits usually shrugs helplessly and pleads ignorance.
By law, so-called 527 groups may not confer with candidates, but that doesn't relieve politicians of responsibility when their supporters engage in character assassination.
Trying to regulate fair play through campaign laws is tricky business because the groups have a right to free speech. The only constitutionally palatable way to control the bad actors is for candidates to instruct their donors to stop writing checks to those organizations.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are sending the right signals, so far. Obama this month asked his supporters to cut off money to independent liberal groups out of concern that nasty attacks will detract from his message of unity. McCain last week booted a campaign consultant who was also working for an anti-Democrat 527. Hillary Clinton has remained comparatively quiet on the issue.
It's not enough for candidates to ask politely that ideologically aligned groups tone down their most vile ads. These groups don't exist simply to sway elections, and in many cases that's secondary to getting rich. According to Politico, the consultant dumped by McCain was paid $22,000 by the Republican's campaign in February and March but his firm made $155,000 since last year from the 527 Stop Her Now.
Money has a way of swaying candidates' decision-making, too, and there's no guarantee that Obama and McCain will stick to their guns. After all, the two men have hedged on previous commitments to use public financing for their campaigns. McCain opted out of public financing for the Republican primary, and more recently Obama has begun to hem and haw about his earlier promise to abide by those rules if he wins the Democratic nomination.
Even so, it will be hard for either candidate to shrug off this fall's inevitable crop of attack ads now that they've already accepted responsibility.
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