Scott Shepard, Cox News Service
The legendary humorist Will Rogers would be baffled by the 2008 presidential campaign. He, after all, famously quipped: "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." So what would he make of the fact that this time around, it is the Republicans -- not the Democrats -- making noises about bolting the party because of ideological differences?

The reason? Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, continues to sit atop the national polls as the choice for the 2008 Republican nomination. And that does not sit well with one of the most important parts of the Republican Party base -- religious conservatives, or "faith voters," as their leaders like to describe them.

Almost two weeks ago, about 50 Christian conservatives met privately in Salt Lake City to discuss what to do if Giuliani wins the GOP nomination. Some, such as the influential James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, emerged from the meeting to suggest that they would bolt the GOP and support a third-party candidate.

Residents of the 13th Congressional District, which runs from Guilford to Wake Counties, have been bombarded with direct mail, automated phone calls, and radio ads from perennial Congressional candidate Vernon Robinson. The Raleigh News and Observer called this potentially "one of the worst mudslinging campaigns in recent North Carolina history." [6/30/2006]

Now, the mud is slinging and it's all Vernon Robinson.