I grew up in KY and currently live in IA. I watched Mitch McConnell come out of nowhere in the 1980's to beat a 3 term popular Democratic Senator (Walter Dee Huddleston). He did it by using smear tactics and negative campaigning. In my opinion, Mitch brought the use of personal attacks in campaigning to a whole new level, He has taught others to use it with great success (Ann Northup, Jim Bunning, and David Williams. In my opinion, the problem of this "win at any cost" and "stay in power whatever you have to do" philosophy is three fold. It has discouraged very talented people who would make excellent public servants from running for public office. It has convinced others who have been excellent public servants (for instance, former congressman Lee Hamilton) that it just isn't worth all the crap you have to go through to stay in office and to try to work on the issues, and finally, this philosophy distracts congress from dealing with issues that matter to peoples lives and the over all political health of this incredible fantastic country. Senator McConnell will keep doing what he is doing because it works. As long as people want to believe the worst in other people, the negativity that he has used will continue to be effective. In my opinion, his use of personal attacks during the Iraq debate (or lack of it in the Senate, again thanks to Senator McConnell), is just another example of how effective this philosophy is at keeping someone in power and totally distracting the discussion from the issues that really make a difference in the lives of Americans. He is one talented guy.

McConnell is speaking truth to power. Dems are weak on National Security. They really are the mommy party.

The Republicans are again trying to frame the debate and set the tone. From "where is your plan" to "unringing the bell", they come up with snazzy phrases in an attempt to cover up the abject failure of their Iraq policies. We have wasted over a trillion dollars and thousands of lives on Mr. Bush's Wild Ride and have nothing to show for it. Now they are trying to blame the Democrats for the mess. Next, Sen. McConnell will pull a Joe McCarthy by standing up in the Senate, holding up a piece of paper, and saying "I hold in my hand a list of names. These names are of terrorists in the Democrat Party." The Republicans are doing everything they can to avoid accountability for their failure in Iraq. If the Democrats fall for this craven strategy and are tied up in knots of parliamentary procedure to the point of being unable to get us out of the morass of Iraq, the time will come to hit the streets and stop this war there - perhaps a brigade of wounded soliders who have managed to survive substandard medical care at Walter Reed could lead the protests. I don't question the patriotism of the Republican Party, I question it's judgement and it's morals. The unethical actions of this Senator are worthy of censure.

The truth is Sen. Mitch McConnell own military experience is not much to speak of… The inconvenient truth of 1969. I am left with the impression that Sen. McConnell is somewhat obligated to go to bat for the Bush administration because his wife is on the administration’s payroll as Secretary of Labor. At least makes one wonder since he lacks the credibility of military service and sacrifice.

checked past equal to that of satin 2, not a person to trust by far, all he wants his money and in retrun FAVORS big business