Political clowns out themselves

Must be getting close to election day -- the candidates who don't think they have a chance have started with the sleazy ads.

The stupidest, here in Georgia, is probably in the Gingrey-Kahn Congressional race. Kahn made his fortune as a liquor distributor, but presents himself in his ads as a "family farmer," which is somewhat true: he has a cattle ranch in north Georgia now.

His opponent, Gingrey, is airing an ad that shows someone who looks like Kahn in a cowboy outfit, riding a mechanical bull in a big showy study. In another scene the same actor, dressed like an Atlanta lawyer, is swishing a drink in his hand. The ad says Kahn is really a "millionaire Buckhead socialite" who's playing cowboy.

Saxby Chambliss is trying to take Max Cleland's Senate seat. Cleland is a former Georgia Secretary of State and a Vietnam vet who lost both legs and use of one arm in a grenade accident after earning a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. Chambliss is among those Republicans who avoided serving but wants to use the military to solve every problem.

The catchphrase of the Chambliss campaign is that Cleland lacks "the courage to lead." What? Further, says the Chambliss campaign, Cleland isn't a nice Democrat like Zell Miller (R/D-Ga.), who supports our President. No, they say, "when the president needed his support, Cleland was voting with Ted Kennedy 85 percent of the time." Well, that makes sense, as we elected Cleland as a Democrat. It's Miller who should be ashamed that he's voting with the Republicans instead of representing the Democrats who elected him.

They're also trying to ride Cleland's opposition to the White House homeland security bill, which they say Cleland opposes in deference to the Federal unions. If that's true, it makes perfect sense. The last thing I want is a Homeland Security Administration staffed through patronage and string-pulling.