I think you got my point: address THESE charges rather than point a finger and say "They all do it."
Yes, I did get your point. Just teasing you a little at Bob's expense.
I certainly agree that the "we all do it" defense is tactic of distraction, not a credible defense... Although I don't think the list was meant so much as a defense of Keyes but rather as an indictment of double-standard/hypocrisy (maybe that's not the best word but something like that) on behalf of the Keyes' bashers jumping on the report as if it's a stake in Keyes' heart, when they clearly dismiss similar allegations regarding people they approve of.
If I may be so bold, I think "they all do it" should be understood in the following context:
The FEC rules and procedures are such an insane mess that virtually every campaign fails on one point or another - not intentionally, just by not being able to decipher what to do and not do.
This may or may not be the case with Keyes' campaign, but certainly, unless one wants to presume that all the scores of folks who have been fined over the years are ALL duplicitous (and like dole or not, I don't think he is in this regard), it indicates the ability to give the man the benefit of a doubt (hard as that may be for some folks around here who'd like nothing better than the aroma of blood in the water).
Beyond that, there's the obvious fact that if it take more than one full time staffer on most campaigns (and it does) to keep up with FEC compliance, it's a sure bet NO candidate is personally making decisions on a daily basis about what donations to accept or reject. The Captain is responsible for his crew, but he doesn't know everything that goes on during the course of campaigning. Even if all this were true in it's worst implication, all it would mean is that Keyes had some bad staffer or two screwing up.