G. Frink's

Do you recall the ad with which North Carolina Republicans hope to depress the Democratic gubernatorial and presidential primaries by parachuting in old news about Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's minister?

Yes, the unaired "television ad" which tries to bounce a few words from one of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons onto the two gubernatorial hopefuls -- State Treasurer Richard Moore and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue. With plenty left over for Democratic presidential hopeful Obama.

Although Republican Party Chairman Linda Daves defends that beast as though it were her own political offspring, tactically identical ads have been trotted out in at least three other states -- Louisana, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. The thing clearly isn't Tar Heel born. She's just reciting her lines, as are her peers in the other states which bought into this ploy.

All of four ads try to both McGovern the Democratic forces by making them wary of supporting one another, and to drive up Democratic negatives with some rank appeal to emotion.

Yet to see a moment of paid air time, the "made to be aired on news shows" North Carolina version has been a triumph of effective misdirection.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain got to look noble and above it all by asking North Carolina Republicans not to air the palpably racist ad.

McCain's request helped revive flagging North Carolina Republican Party spirits, because party leaders got to look semi-tough and sort of independent by refusing to do any such thing.

Ms. Daves even got a free ride on national television news out of it, and while the ad's content is second rate, it is sure to have some stimulative effect on the old JesseCrats.

What a fine farce. Whoever planned this really knows how to orchestrate a campaign melodrama.

Best of all, if you missed this episode, you don't have to bring yourself up to date.

There are new, self-contained episodes in the pipe and scheduled to hit the stage shortly.

I'd try not to let any of it get on my shoes if I were you, though.