Paper withdraws endorsement for Mel Martinez

Earlier I reported on some of the ironies of the Mel Martinez campaign.

So I thought I'd report the latest news:

The St. Petersburg Times rescinded its endorsement of Mel Martinez in Tuesday's Republican Senate primary, accusing him of "hateful and dishonest attacks" on fellow Republican Bill McCollum.

In an editorial published Monday, the newspaper said it took the unusual step of withdrawing an endorsement because the former Bush Cabinet member "took his campaign into the gutter with hateful and dishonest attacks" over McCollum's support of a hate crimes bill and expanded embryonic stem cell research.

"The Times is not willing to be associated with bigotry," the editorial said. The newspaper said it was now recommending McCollum, a former congressman who was defeated by Bill Nelson in the 2000 Senate race.

The newspaper cited a Martinez campaign mailer that called McCollum "the new darling of the homosexual extremists" because he supported a hate crime bill that included protection of gays. It also criticized a conference call of social conservatives arranged by the campaign in which McCollum was labeled "antifamily."

Hmm... A Republican who attacks his fellow Republican much to the dismay of those around him, but is unwilling to denounce the attacks he has made.

No wonder Bush "went out of his way" to praise Mel. Birds of a feather.