A fundraising e-mail that went out last night:

Friend —
A few hours ago John McCain, the same man who just months ago promised to run a “respectful campaign,” said he is “proud” of his latest attack ad.
That’s the one attacking your enthusiasm, comparing me to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and making false claims about my energy plan.
Now, we’re facing some serious challenges in this country — our economy is struggling, energy costs are skyrocketing, and families don’t have health care.
Given the seriousness of these issues, you’d think we’d be having a serious debate. But instead, John McCain is running an expensive, negative campaign against us. Each day brings a desperate new set of attacks.
And they’re not just attacking me. They’re attacking you.
They’re mocking the desire of millions of Americans to step up and take ownership of the political process.
They’re trying to convince you that your enthusiasm won’t amount to anything — that the people you persuade, the phone calls you make, the donations you give, the doors you knock on are all an illusion. They believe that in this election the same old smears and negative attacks will prevail again.
They’re wrong.
And right now, we have a few hours left to prove them wrong in a very concrete way.
Make a donation of $5 or more before the July fundraising deadline at midnight tonight.
Show the strength of our movement for change.
Thank you,
Barack

So, if Republicans point out that Obama is a media-generated phenomenon with a thin resume — which was the point of the “Celeb” ad — this is an unfair “attack.” Criticism of his energy plan constitutes “false claims.” Ergo, since neither his qualifications nor his policy proposals are subject to scrutiny and appraisal, no Republican criticism of Obama is legitimate. Remind me of this, the next time some Code Pink wacko asserts that Republicans are stifling dissent.