Last Night a Butler Saved My Life

Six days before she turns the big 7-0, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) won a lovely ugly New York Times expose of the Lady in the Water-level disaster that is her tenure as the Republicans' Senate campaign chairwoman. Dole took the momentum Karl Rove created with his "Social Security: 70 Years is Enough" and "Hurricane Katrina relief: What's the Rush?" campaigns and somehow squandered it on a candidate team that could actually lose the Senate. And that's not all: She even shanghaied one of the GOP's precious few black candidates.

Mrs. Dole has actively pressed the candidacy of a white candidate [in Michigan], Michael Bouchard, who is in a primary against a black candidate, Keith Butler, to challenge Senator Debbie Stabenow... She said she applauded Mr. Mehlman's overall effort to improve the party's appeal to blacks, but argued that it was essential for Republicans to field the strongest possible challenger to Ms. Stabenow, and that Mr. Butler was simply a weaker candidate.

It's tempting to believe that Dole hates blacks as much as she once hated teenagers . Alas, no. Here's the campaign ad that Butler blasted across the Michigan airwaves. Watch the former Detroit citycouncilman use his Spider-Man-like powers of super-strength and precognition to defend the old ladies and UPS men of a hectic city street. Then ponder whetheryou'dfunnel millions of dollars to his campaign.

 In G.O.P. Fund-Raising, Dole's Star-Power Dims [The New York Times]

 "A Little Help" [Keith Butler for U.S. Senate ]

-- David Weigel