You should read Byron York’s behind-the-scenes look at a Democratic operative’s attempt to use Sarah Palin as a wedge in the Massachusetts Senate race. The hacks don’t get called on this stuff nearly as often as they should.

As for the tactic in question — trying to bait Brown into either rejecting or embracing Palin – it seems kind of ridiculous at first, until you consider the Hoffman race in upstate New York. I’m not totally convinced that the endorsements of Palin and other prominent national conservatives worked against Hoffman, but it’s not outlandish to think they might have. I talked to some NY-23 voters who referred to it as an invasion, and numerous callers on local radio shows made clear the national attention wasn’t welcome. At this point, if you’re Brown, you’ve gained a lot of momentum by keeping the race focused on the weakness of your opponent and the unpopularity of her party’s agenda. Why change the subject?