A compelling case, my friends, and perfectly characteristic of St. John to be throwing money down the toilet on ineffective spots. But unless I missed something, the author never actually links Amy Bradford to the abrad2345 YouTube account or the MySpace page. It’s a striking coincidence, to be sure, but why would a professional media outlet be posting anonymous attack ads on behalf of its client under screennames that could be traced back to its employees? Create an account called “RealBalls” or “RudySucks” or whatever.

It tells you everything you need to know about the competence of St. John’s campaign that on a day when his New Hampshire speech about Iraq should be getting headlines, it’s competing with stories about his money woes, his staff layoffs, his plans B and (potentially) C, and his vow to stay in the race unless and until a fatal illness brings him down. Mary Katharine did note a possibly significant qualifier to that last part in his conference call today, though — “I will do whatever is necessary, including taking time off in September from the campaign” to lobby for continuing the mission in Iraq, he said. A fine idea.

Exit question: I’ve asked you this before but I’m asking again. When?

Update: Wow, looks like I was right to be skeptical — under threat of lawsuit, the author of the Daily Background post is backpedaling furiously.