The problem for voters is that attack politics can lead to distortion of the issues debate.
"The people have rejected attack politics, so I don't think you'll see anything but support for the new Republican governor."
"It taught him the power of attack politics."
But later, anti-Government attack politics became the fashion, seizing the public's imagination right down to each night's final television jokes.
Bemoaning attack politics is, of course, de rigueur for All the Right People.
From the start, she showed a feel for attack politics equaled by few consultants I've known, let alone candidates.
Second, all sides got a lesson in how attack politics can have unintended consequences in a three-way race.
In its own way, the current Congressional era of attack politics is rough enough.
Instead of providing vision and leadership, it has given us division and a steady diet of attack politics.
I guess playing attack politics 13 months before the election is 'Hope and Change' ?