KNAPPSTER: CAMPAIGNS GET DOWN AND DIRTY

Tis the season. This is the time of year when all sorts of political
bombshells start dropping, nasty tidbits that assorted campaigns have been
withholding until just the right moment. The fact that such stories are
held until late in a campaign doesn't mean they are untrue, but it does
mean they must be viewed with a critical eye. Here are some of the biggies
that are floating around at the moment.

[snip]

Statements by Deputy DA Gary Booker concerning the involvement of major
drug cartels in the Nevada marijuana initiative may rank as one of the
dumbest things ever uttered in a local political campaign.

Although Booker now disputes whether he ever said it, he's been quoted as
suggesting that South American drug lords have taken an interest in getting
marijuana legalized in Nevada and that they are secretly backing the measure.

Yes, and Al Capone worked real hard to get Prohibition repealed. ...

The source of the story about the drug cartel turns out to be wild, wacky
political oddball Lyndon Larouche, a diehard conspiracy buff and firm
believer in any manner of off-the-wall fringe theories.

Hard to believe that someone like Booker, as well as normally level headed
Sen. Joe Neal, would ever give Larouche credibility on any subject.

[snip]