McCain and Romney go at it again

As voters vote, John McCain and Mitt Romney are engaged in another personal spat. It all started when Bob Dole—war hero, Republican Senate Leader and 1996 Presidential candidate—wrote to Rush Limbaugh, the talk show host, suggesting that his rants against McCain were OTT. Romney, whose campaign is now dependent on tapping into anti-McCain sentiment, dismissed Dole’s concern saying that he was “probably the last person I would have wanted to write a letter for me.” This enraged McCain who accused Romney of disrespecting a war hero and dedicated Republican.

The spat illustrates the dilemma that is likely to be facing Romney after tonight. If he wants to beat McCain he is going to have to get down into the mud and engage in a slash and burn campaign. If he does this and doesn’t win, he’ll be a pariah and will have destroyed his own reputation.