Shorter Halperin: If you're a Democrat, you really just better take it. Because the more you fight back, the worse it's gonna be for you.

Josh, I couldn't agree with you more as far as what what Mr. Halperin is really saying here.  For him, 

when it comes to the politics of attack and smear, the Republicans simply have no peer! 

As badly as Kerry fared in '04, there is no real chance in Halperin's opinion, that Obama will do any better this time around; so he might as well not bother trying to respond. 

But for me, this just underscores the weakness of the Republican approach.  Everything is about campaigning-no holds barred-- to win the upcoming election.  This mindset then carries over into their conduct once in office.  Every executive action becomes part of the campaign for the next time they face the voters.  

In fact, today's Repubs don't actually govern at all:  they campaign.  And that's how we got into this fine mess over the last 8 years.  No governing!

By the same token, Bill Kristol's recent comments about Obama's failure to select Hillary as his VP is, on one level, designed as a grenade rolled under the Democrat's door, but on another level, it all but concedes the Republican's overriding preoccupation with electability as opposed to government.  

With 18 million primary voters in her pocket,  the failure to select HRC is for Kristol a most unwise choice for Obama going into November.

But wait!  What about the difficulty of governing this country that Obama would naturally face if elected  with Hillary as his VP?  With Bill as President Emeritus?  Who would be in charge?

The primary task of an Obama administration is not  getting itself elected in 2008-- then re-elected in 2012-- it is digging the country out of the terrible hole that the never-ending campaigning of the current administration has landed us in!

tks rich