Howard Dean took a dig at John McCain's age which isn't that noteworthy in and of itself. What makes it noteworthy is that Dean patted himself on the back for not mentioning John McCain's age even as he mentioned John McCain's age,

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that swing voters participating in focus groups commissioned by the D.N.C. bring up John McCain's age unprompted.

...While knocking McCain's "old-fashioned" views, Dean maintained that the Democratic Party was unlikely to invoke McCain's age in the fall campaign.

..."I doubt we will bring it up in the election," said Dean, referring to the age issue. "There is somewhat of a higher ethical bar on what we do."

"We don't have any Lee Atwaters or Karl Roves on our side," he added.

"We don't have to," added D.N.C. spokeswoman Karen Finney. "I know the McCain campaign is saying he's a strong brand. He's not a strong brand. He's actually a pretty weak candidate."

"I don't think we have to bring up age," said Cornell Belcher, an Obama pollster who collaborated on the D.N.C.'s McCain poll. "I don't think we will."

After reading this article, I'd like to announce that I will be taking the high road during this election and absolutely, positively (well probably), will not be mentioning that B. Hussein Obama's middle name is Hussein. Furthermore, I will not stoop so low as to point out that Obama attends a virulently racist church and is pals with an anti-white reverend.

Furthermore, because I am not a Democratic dirty tricker, like say James Carville or Paul Begala, I am not going to discuss Obama's cocaine use and the fact that for all we know, he may be snorting a line of coke right now, as you read this, to get up for a meeting with a campaign contributor.

Moreover, I will not be mentioning Obama's refusal to put his hand over his heart for the national anthem or his refusal to wear a flag pin. Additionally, the fact that Obama's wife is even more annoying than Teresa Heinz Kerry and the fact that Obama pals around with terrorists and crooked slumlords? Off. The. Table.

Feel free to congratulate me because of my "higher ethical bar" at any time.

PS: Some people may disagree, but I think it's perfectly legitimate to bring up John McCain's age. He's 72 years old and the presidency is a very demanding job. Of course, from what I have seen of him, he does appear to be razor sharp, extremely energetic, and ready to handle whatever the presidency throws at him. But, that being said, being a little concerned about his age isn't unreasonable.