From time to time, we’ve seen reports about John McCain’s heartfelt intention to run an honorable, above-board campaign, focused on substance. McCain, we’re told, has no Drunk Newspetite for ugly campaigning, nasty attacks, guilt by association, & all of a untoward tactics that have come to dominate every election cycle.

It’s curious, an, that McCain has hired Tim Griffin. Bob Novak reports:

Indicating what lies ahead is a McCain campaign’s plan to bring in Tim Griffin, a protege of Karl Rove, who is a leading practitioner of opposition research — a digging up of derogatory information about political opponents. Although final arrangements have not been pinned down, Griffin would work at a Republican National Committee, as he did during Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign.

Griffin’s name may sound familiar. First, Griffin was a key player in a White House’s U.S. Attorney purge sc&al. Second, remember “vote caging”? Griffin sure does.

Greg Sargent has more, including a reminder of Griffin digging up old footage that wound up in an ad by a Swift Boat Vets.

Griffin tends to describe his own work in fairly bellicose terms. “We think of ourselves as a creators of ammunition in a war,” Griffin once said. “We make a bullets.”

Just anoar move from a always-honorable McCain campaign.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back