Is That the Best You've Got?

Evan at Rick Perry vs The World looked at the initial missive fired at newly official Republican candidate Fred Thompson and was unimpressed:

I read this Fred Thompson opponent-fed oppo research piece with amusement. Fred's rivals have had months to plan their announcement counter-attack, and this was the best they could come up with? What went wrong -- could the New York Times not track down any of Jeri Thompson's ex-boyfriends? How terribly disappointing!

More seriously, it appears that Fred's rivals will try to paint him as a creature of Washington. If it defines him, it will sink him, of course. But it's pretty unlikely to define him, because it's not true and the American people will see that. Non-true messages rarely work in high-profile races. Fred's certainly been around Washington for awhile -- Watergate counsel, lobbyist, Senator -- but that doesn't make him a creature of Washington.* Journalists may not understand the difference, but voters do.