The blogosphere has weighed in on Kay Hagan's decision to drop a lawsuit.
The Democratic senator-elect had sued Sen. Elizabeth Dole for a TV ad that criticized her for attending a fundraiser held by an atheist, but dropped the suit this week.
On Talking About Politics, Republican consultant Carter wrenn says a statement by Hagan's spokeswoman that she wanted to end the suit for the good of North Carolina sounds phony.
"Now, why couldn’t Hagan just say, The election's over. I won. So, what’s the point in the lawsuit?" he writes. "The candor would have been refreshing."
Conservative blogger Dan Gearino says the lawsuit was either "stupid or craven."
"If she truly thought Dole's campaign ad went over the line into slander and defamation, and that the court system should be called upon (or would even be willing) to referee political charges and countercharges, she’s a fool who has no business being in Congress," he writes.
Meantime, J.W. Williamson on Watauga Watch was more stoic.
"Apparently, Liddy's losing the election was punishment enough," he writes.
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Re: Parting words on Hagan's 'Godless' suit
The lawsuit was probably more a marketing move than a legal one. It sure kept up the attention by providing the "seriousness" of a potential court fight.
Lawsuit filings are used that way, even outside of politics (shocking, I know), so when it happens in politics it shouldn't surprise any serious observer.
And, Hagan's win made the suit, if pursued seriously, more difficult to win. The fact that she won the election would make it pretty near impossible to prove that Dole had, in fact, harmed Hagan's reputation.