And?

Howard Fineman appears to be implying that there is something sneaky and underhanded going on with the Republican's election strategy.

 So the White House will try to survive by driving down the ratings of the other side. Right now, an impressive 55 percent of voters say they have a favorable view of the Democrats, one of the party’s best ratings in years. But the “favorables” of leading national Democrats are weak: 34 percent for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; 26 percent for Sen. John Kerry; 28 percent for former Vice President Al Gore. The bottom line: As long as the Democrats remain a generic, faceless alternative, they win; Rove’s aim is to paint his version of their portrait.

Forgive me if I fail to see exactly how this is any different from any campaign strategy used by any party.

Then there is the attention being paid — and it’s just starting — to obscure Democratic characters such as Rep. John Conyers of Michigan. As of now, only political junkies know that Conyers, an African-American and old-school liberal from Detroit, would become chairman of the Judiciary Committee if the Democrats regain control of the House. Few know that Conyers has expressed interest in holding hearings on the impeachment of the president.

But before this election season is over, Republican and conservative voters are going to know a lot about Conyers. To hear the GOP tell it, the impeachment of the president will be the number one priority if Conyers gets his say, which of course Rep. Nancy Pelosi will be only too happy to give him. The aim will be to rally The GOP Base with talk of a political Apocalypse.

Raising the issue of what people would likely take over chairmanships is wrong how? Conyers should be scrutinized and his record on quite a lot of things should be discussed. This is again, absolutely no different than it has ever been. I'm failing to see what is so underhanded about these tactics.

Bush and Rove are daring the Democrats to turn the nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden as head of the CIA into a fight over the president’s secret eavesdropping program. That’s a fight they think they can win politically, by turning a legitimate constitutional issue into another Us v. Them morality play.

It’s worked before.

This closing to the article is really odd. Haven't the left been trying desperately to get this program out in the open? Is it just possible that the Democrats who have been pumping this issue know they are, in fact, wrong?

Just asking.