It looks like the Republicans are revving up for a nasty cycle of political ads:

Republicans are planning to spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final 60 days of the campaign attacking Democratic House and Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates, plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising budget on what officials described as negative ads.

The hope is that a vigorous effort to “define” opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives, can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit losses this fall. The first round of attacks includes an ad that labeled a Democratic candidate in Wisconsin “Dr. Millionaire” and noted that he has sued 80 patients.

“Opposition research is power,” said Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (N.Y.), the NRCC chairman. “Opposition research is the key to defining untested opponents.”

The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has enlisted veteran party strategist Terry Nelson to run a campaign that will coordinate with Senate Republicans on ads that similarly will rely on the best of the worst that researchers have dug up on Democrats. The first ad run by the new RNC effort criticizes Ohio Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) for voting against proposals designed to toughen border protection and deport illegal immigrants.

One word – GOOD. I hope they get really nasty in these ads and the Democrats don’t strike back. America is tired of all the nasty partisanship and the Republicans are always saying that, yet they want to prove to America that they are the nastiest partisans of them all.

The Democrats best response to these ads will be no response. They need to stick to the issues and show the voters that they are worried about making change and not making smear. If they do this then they will pick up some from the Republican column and more from the Independent column.

Don’t mess this latest gift up Democrats. The Republicans are working hard to insure your win this fall and this is another great example of that.