Murkowski: No Free Speech For Tea Party

The revenge of the loser:

Lawyers for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's campaign want Alaska broadcasters to refuse to air TV ads by a national tea party group.

The campaign says the ads are "littered with lies and intentional mischaracterizations" about Murkowski and her write-in campaign. Attorney Timothy McKeever, in a letter sent to broadcasters Monday, said they are under a "legal and moral obligation" not to air them.

At issue is an ad unveiled Monday by the Tea Party Express entitled "Arrogant Lisa Murkowski -- You Lost!" It seeks to paint Murkowski as more interested in political self-preservation than in serving Alaskans' interests. It also claims she "tried to manipulate the Libertarian party into giving her their slot" on the ballot.

There's a lot of leeway given to political ads and truth is not a requirement. The main thrust of the First Amendment is free political speech, so there's not much Murkowski can do, regardless of the veracity of the ads.