Get Ready for the Negative TV Campaign Against Bowles

Erskine Bowles himself made the announcement: look for a $3 million negative TV campaign against him starting September 7th, paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and featuring ads designed by the same upstanding ad shop that produced the nasty ad featuring Vietnam veterans accusing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry of lying about his Vietnam War record and later betraying his fellow veterans by opposing the war. Nasty, nasty ad, and probably effective.

How Bowles found out about the coming assault, no one knows. But a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee confirmed it.

And what does Bowles follow this announcement with? He WHINES! "It causes me great concern that they are going to come in here and I suppose do negative advertising. This means I will have to spend more time raising money instead of going out and doing other things."

"GOING OUT AND DOING OTHER THINGS!!!!" Like, what? Picking dead leaves off the ivy? Petting the cat? Sweeping the front walk? Does Bowles not get what this is? This isn't a company picnic, catered by a nice little bistro with vegetarian options. THIS IS FRIGGIN WAR, and we have an unarmed soldier here leading us.

I'm reminded of Sean Connery, playing the cop Malone in "The Untouchables" (1987), giving advice to Elliot Ness: "If he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way. That's how you get Capone."

Somebody needs to be saying similar things to Erskine Bowles. Or we're in big freakin' trouble.