Save the drama for your mama!

So yesterday I posted about former U.S. Senate Candidate Paul Hackett and how his camp may have leaked out campaign research that paints Sherrod Brown in a bad light, right?

So today, Hackett is accusing Brown's campaign of spreading ugly rumors that Hackett mishandled body parts while serving in Iraq. I know. This shit is better than a soap opera.

Word 'round the campfire is that pictures exist of Hackett PLAYING WITH BODY PARTS. Of course, Hackett denied this on Hardball with Chris Matthews:

"I have heard those stories, and they're absolutely preposterous," Hackett said. "I invite anybody who wants to make those allegations to come onto your show. I'll meet them here."

Hackett said he believes that the rumors came from Brown's campaign because he heard that from "multiple different sources throughout Ohio, all pointing in that direction."

And of course, Brown's campaign folk deny they had any part in spreading this nasty rumor.

Hackett had previously shied away from identifying the source of the rumors. In an interview last week with The Plain Dealer, Hackett said he believed that he knew the source of the rumors but didn't want to elaborate. He instead suggested that a reporter contact a supporter of his, Clermont County Democratic Chairman David Lane.

Lane said last week that he had no proof that a Democrat was responsible for the rumors, but he recounted a conversation last fall with Dan Lucas, an aide to Brown, in which he said Lucas told him "there are things out there about Paul that I don't think he [Hackett] really wants to be made public."

This is insane. And I don't know what's real or not. I'm sure Hackett didn't futz around with body parts, and I don't know if Hackett himself intentionally leaked that information about Brown to the Toledo Blade. But what I do know is this backstabbing and mudslinging and just plain ugliness is going to hurt us in Ohio.

I mean, I understand Hackett might have some serious angst about being asked to drop out of the race in favor of Brown. I get that. Even I was pissed. (And I don't even live in Ohio!) And if someone accused me of playing with body parts in Iraq, I'd staunchly defend my reputation, as Hackett is doing. But also, if these rumors have been going on for a while, why wait until just last week to say anything?

In just two days, the democratic ticket in Ohio has just turned into a morass of infighting and backstabbing and just plain ugliness, when instead they should be working together to make sure a Democrat wins the Senate seat in the next election.