Low Road

And this would be different how?

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.

With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.

"We're going to get a little tougher," a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. "We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question that we have to change the subject here," said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity [...]

"We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days," said Greg Strimple, one of McCain's top advisers. "We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans."

That's not just ridiculous, it reveals a crucial lack of understanding of the situation we're in. The financial crisis isn't going anywhere. The plan has been approved but not has to be implemented, and that could easily go awry and very quickly. Wall Street is already making noises that $700 billion isn't enough, and car dealerships are operating under such narrow margins that a whole bunch might go under. There is no "snap your fingers" moment here, and people witnessing a nation on the brink aren't likely to pivot and give a flying crap about Bill Ayers.

Not that the New York Times isn't trying to help any way they can, of course. But the low road isn't likely to be smooth terrain this year. Doesn't mean that Obama can safely ignore it. But it feels like flailing.

And it's hardly an October surprise - they've been doing this for 30 years, and McCain lost his honor in this campaign a long time ago.