John Stinks. Jeanne Does Too.

As most folks wait for John McCain to go nuclear on Barack Obama, those who like splattered blood with their politics need simply look north for a taste.

The Sununu-Shaheen race for U.S. Senate out of New Hampshire doesn't much here, except the ceaseless advertising has clogged our TV viewing for weeks now, and will only grow in the next few weeks. And good lord, has it been nasty.

Shaheen and her friends (there's so many ads I've lost track which are from the campaign and which are from 527s) want you to think Sununu and George W. Bush all but camp out together in the Rose Garden. Sununu and his friends want to remind you that Shaheen is a dirty tax lover.

There have been a few competitive races in Massachusetts since I moved here in 1989, but I don't think any of them come close to matching the bomb-throwing in this race. Romney-Kennedy was pretty heated, especially when Kennedy starting bringing in union folks from Indiana, but it certainly didn't reach this level. Weld-Kerry was downright gentlemanly, and Romney-O'Brien was pretty heated, but again, not to this level. Kerry Healey certainly held up her end of the bargain, but Deval Patrick didn't take the bait. In this New Hampshire race, both sides are firing away mercilessly.

For what it's worth, Shaheen is up in most polls, but the average seems to be in the 5-7 point range, certainly close enough for Sununu to keep gunning, and for Shaheen to keep returning fire.

It's interesting in that we have to stake in the race, but most folks I've talked to have obviously noticed the horrific tenor of the ads, and are turned off by it. I wonder how folks in New Hampshire (ahem, Derek) view the campaign to this point. Are they also turned off by it, or is it such a contested race that people are getting swept up in it?

For those interested in politics, it's certainly a good lesson in modern politics. There's a ton of money being spent, and 527s are playing a big-money, bash-away role. It's also an interesting look at the national map, where there's growing talk of Democrats consolidating power in the House and Senate. You'd think if that were the case Republicans would be looking to preserve and incumbent who is in a tight race. Who can come to N.H. to make an appearance that would be a big, late splash for Sununu? I wouldn't think Bush. McCain is losing in polls in N.H. currently, and his own fish to fry.

Eh, I'm rambling. But with all those ads I've seen (they're absolutely pounding Sox games), how can you ignore it?