Free Republic

Barack Obama’s campaign got wind of oppo researcher Stephen Marks’ plans to air the “The Real Barack Obama” ad produced by his 527 group pH for America on five TV stations in the battleground states of PA and MI starting this week, because his “smear-fighting” Web site has launched an attack on the attack ad. Referring to him as a “career smear peddler,” a “trickster” and a “scam artist,” the Obama campaign does not mention Marks by name, but coyly links to an entry on SourceWatch instead.

By Stephen Marks Everyone’s complaining about how lackluster John McCain’s campaign has been. Well, I’m here to shake things up with the launch of a new 527, pH for America, and our first ad, “The REAL Barack Obama,” that will have liberals whooping and hollering “Swiftboat!” and “Willie Horton.”The “pH” in pH for America stands for “Political Hitman,” which is how I describe my 14 years as an opposition researcher - the polite Beltway euphemism for those who dig up dirt on political opponents - in my book “Confessions of a Political Hitman” (Sourcebooks, 2008). This 527 was formed to...