Editorial
The Hail Osama ads

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The ad insults the intelligence of Washington voters.

Nethercutt's ad pretends voters should believe our twice-elected U.S. senator, Patty Murray, supports Osama bin Laden and the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York.

Nethercutt, consistently down in the polls, threw a Hail Mary — or Hail Osama — pass in an attempt to link Murray in voters' minds with bin Laden.

In the ad, a woman's voice says, "When most people think of Osama bin Laden, they think of this ... " with the camera showing bin Laden followed by a picture of the towers in ruins.

The cynics out there will guess what comes next: Murray and a clip from an appearance at a Vancouver high school two years ago.

At the time, Murray wondered why Osama bin Laden is so popular around the world. She speculated that he is popular because, "He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities and the people are extremely grateful. He's made their lives better."

At no time did Murray say she supports bin Laden or his despicable acts. Quite the opposite. She has condemned him and his terrorist ways.

Nethercutt's ad suggests Murray excuses terrorists. She does not. Ads showing candidates' faces appearing before or after scary figures, such as bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, are almost becoming clichés.

The Nethercutt ad is low-brow and an affront to voters who deserve a higher level of campaign sparring.