Each week, we wistfully (and foolishly) say to ourselves that the 2008 presidential campaign can’t sink much lower.

Each week, not only does it, but there is hard-fought competition for lowest of the low.

Early this week, we thought the lowest might be the Obama campaign’s attack on John McCain’s inability to use computers and email, disregarding McCain’s war injuries that render such body motor movements awkward and painful. Only a few commentators made the leap to the truly important point: If sending email is Obama’s criteria for Oval Office competence, then perhaps His Cerebralness needs a remedial course in Presidency 101, wherein such techno-prowess is not once discussed, but the need for secure presidential communication and presidential prioritization are.

Whatever, that dumb low was immediately surpassed by attacking John McCain’s honor, which couldn’t even be sold to Osama bin Laden as an al Qaeda talking point.

Then came Obama’s really deep-burrowing missile. Most Americans won’t hear it or see it or understand it if they do. The radio and TV ads are only being broadcast in a few states...in Spanish.

Based on reports from Ed O’Keefe of the Washington Post and Jake Tapper of ABC News, the ads attempt to link McCain to out-of-context remarks by Rush Limbaugh to paint McCain as anti-Hispanic or anti-immigrant.

The ads say (according to O’Keefe): “John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces. One that says lies just to get our vote and another, even worse, that continues the failed policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families.”

The radio version adds: “Don’t forget that John McCain abandoned us rather than confront the leaders of the Republican Party. Many of us were born here, and others came to work and achieve a better life for their families – not to commit crimes or drain the system like many of John McCain’s friends claim. Let’s not be fooled by political tricks from John McCain and the Republicans. Vote so they respect us. Vote for a change.”

The ads so distort John McCain’s (and President Bush’s and Rush Limbaugh’s) positions as to be despicable, for lack of a better word that we may safely use publicly. Were it not for their concentrated support of amnesty for illegal aliens (to which we can expertly attest, since we were on the other side), President Bush’s approval ratings would be higher and McCain would have had a much easier path to the nomination. To link John McCain’s positions on immigration to those of Rush Limbaugh is beyond absurd.

As hard-headed political pragmatists, we also recognize that, whatever we or others say about the ads, they may well work in states with high Latino populations that could turn on razor-thin margins.

How low can all this go (on both sides)? We’ve still got about six weeks to find out.