Just watched a fascinating biography of Lee Atwater. I had no idea how much character assassination of Michael Dukakis went into George H.W. Bush's win. They sent out leaflets saying 'Child Rapists and murderers and psychopaths vote for Michael Dukakis'. The Republicans obviously decided that the same tactic would work here; one of Atwater's acolytes is on the McCain/Palin campaign committee. The bogus leaflets are hard to believe until you understand the Atwater Effect. It's a 'win-at-any-cost' mindset. How you win makes absolutely no difference. Atwater apparently denounced his own tactics on his deathbed, but the Republicans (and probably the Dems to some extent) learned the lesson.
No, as obeying the rules and challenging your opponent legally under the rules is not the same as a "dirty tricks" campaign. Your purposeful confusion of the two illustrates his point, that Republicans just don't care and can't distinguish if they leave the boundaries of what is moral and legal. "It's a 'win-at-any-cost' mindset. How you win makes absolutely no difference."