An Inside Look at GOP Campaigning

Have you ever noticed how McCain-Palin supporters seem to speak off the same script -- like about Gov. Palin's "executive experience"? In this fascinating article in Salon, journalist Margriet Oostveen admits: "I Ghost-Wrote Letters to the Editor for the McCain Campaign." To get an inside look at the workings of the campaign, she volunteered in McCain's Virginia office. During her training with other volunteers, campaign worker Phil Tuchman told them honesty was not a requirement: "You can be whoever you want to be," he said. "You can be a beggar or a millionaire. A mom or a husband. Whatever. You decide!"

Even more interesting than her article are the guidelines, talking points, and sample letters given to her and other volunteers. Read them and observe political manipulation at work. One of the talking points is "In choosing Governor Palin, John McCain put Washington on notice that he is serious about shaking up the status quo." Does "shaking up the status quo" include asking volunteers to write fake letters?