To spite your face

Only Democrats are expected to do things that work against their own interests. If Campbell Brown would look a little deeper, she would find lots of hand-in-glove fundraising by the RNC to benefit John McCain, and she'd also find a huge disparity in actual 527 expenditures, 10 to 1 in favor of the Republicans by some counts.

So, here's the real question: When is a politician permitted by the media to reconsider? Never is a ridiculous answer.

Rip tides of narrative and reality

The national press is rightly impressed with Obama's fundraising, but focusing on that rare apparent advantage obscures the reality that bleeds through lower in the story:

Republican officials point out that, when the RNC totals are combined with the $21 million in cash that McCain held at the end of July, they actually have slightly more money available for the White House contest than do Democrats. (Combined figures show Republicans with $96 million and Democrats with $94.3)

So, parity. Forget the Republican underdog story. It's bullshit.

Combine this parity with unmeasured but almost certain Republican advantages in 527s, and the ocean of slime coming from the right will get deeper and deeper before the tide ebbs off the beach and leaves us.

We'll see if there's a strong enough rip current to drown Obama. I hope he's strong enough to swim around it.

Bad cop - good cop

McCain-Feingold is going to be one of those careful-what-you-wish-for reforms. As interpreted, it leaves lots of room for mischief from political allies, near and far.

The Swift Boat Liars were just the first shot in a new war. They were financed by ardent Texas Bushists, T. Boone Pickens, for example. This was no coincidence, of course. Nudge-nudge-wink-wink! Who needs a junkyard dog as vice president!

There's a new wrinkle. The Tennessee Republican Party issued a scurrilous press release. John McCain, noble bipartisan that he is, condemned it. The Tennessee GOP didn't back down, in fact reveled in the publicity.

Now, the North Carolina Republican Party is running a scurrilous ad (scroll to end). John McCain's crocodile tears and rending of garments continues, alas, to no avail. The NC GOP keeps running the ad and revels in the publicity. McCain gives us this pabulum:

"I can't dictate to them. But I want to be the candidate of everybody. I want to be the candidate of Republicans and Democrats and independents," he said Wednesday.

Look for this good cop/bad cop routine to go on over and over again.

No, by the way, I don't think McCain suckered Feingold and the rest of the Democrats into this fresh hell of 527s and local parties and non-coordinated coordination. He and the rest of the Republican apparat are just using the rules more cannily.

Update: Joe Conason has more (h/t digby).