Pataki Took the Bait ...

National Journal's On Call blog points out that George Pataki recently fell into a trap. You see, political candidates are supposed to always be the "good guy." They should delegate their "dirty work" to surrogates:

As snappy as his comeback was, did Gov. George Pataki (R) fall into an age-old operative-candidate trap when he took the bait on HRC adviser/NY Dem quotemeister Howard Wolfson's jibe? Wolfson knocked the gov's '08 chances and Pataki came back blasting at Wolfson's most famous "client." But isn't the principal/member/candidate always supposed to staff out the dirty work, thus not lowering himself/herself.

... Good point. Richard Nixon used VP Spiro Agnew as his "attack dog." In fact, Nixon said, "If you own a dog, you don't have to bark." Pataki needs a good dog.

Bottom line: If you're a candidate, you should try your best to stay above the fray. Delegate the attacks ...