Two strange, or not so strange things, are beginning to happen with increasing frequency:

One, Obama and his legions in the media are using the words “lying,” “liar,” “treason,” etc. to charge McCain with running an historically dirty campaign (this coming after appeals from worried “progressives” for Obama to get “tough” and make up a sudden and unexpected 1-2 point deficit in the polls). Few take this charge seriously, given that Obama has run far greater a percentage of attack ads than has McCain, and Obama, as the Limbaugh ad attests, can get far lower; but it is an effective backdrop nonetheless to frame Obama’s “defensive” and “reactive” negativity.

And, two, meanwhile in the proverbial street the unhinged, fringe Left is really waging an historically dirty campaign against McCain with things like swarming radio shows with calls to intimidate guests like Kurtz and Freddoso, hacking into Palin’s e-mails, doctoring photos of McCain, bragging postfacto at efforts to tarnish his Atlantic portrait, peddling on the Atlantic website false rumors about Palin’s pregnancy, and the assorted street theater reminiscent of the 60s.

Remember in that age, the respectable Left on the campuses, Congress, and the media sought victimhood as they pontificated about principles and visions, while the not-so-respectable counterpart took to the streets and worse.

I think almost everyone knew that should McCain surge a point or two hysteria would ensue, and the hope and change idealism would morph into the wounded fawn cries out against the “lying” and “lost his bearings” and “can’t remember” enfeebled, aged McCain — while in the mind of his galvanized self-righteous and more extreme supporters everything else becomes fair game for the higher cause of defeating McCain.