For a while there, we were worried that political extremism was about to break out.

What with North Carolina voters being worried about the economy, $100 gasoline fill-ups and the war in Iraq, it appeared this might be a radically different election — one in which the candidates and their parties actually stayed focused on policy differences, rather than wading into the traditional muck we've all come to know and love. We've even had Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue swearing off negative political ads — well, maybe, sort of — so long as everybody else plays nice, too.

What's gotten into you people? Don't you realize this is America, where the only thing better than a blind-side body slam on Friday night 'rasslin' is a big, smelly political ad that plays on guilt-by-association, innuendo, fear-mongering and character assassination?

Well, thank goodness for the N.C. Republican Party's steadfast refusal to submit to the forces of radicalism that act like politics is some kind of hoity-toity tea party, rather than being a true blood sport. As of Thursday evening, the state party was refusing to back away from its plans to air a TV ad that links Perdue and fellow Democratic candidate Richard Moore to Barack Obama's controversial former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. For those of you who aren't used to six-degrees-of-separation political logic, here's how it goes: Perdue and Moore have both endorsed Obama. Obama is linked to Wright. Wright has spewed forth some vile imprecations against America. Hence, because they are backing Obama, Perdue and Moore must be tainted by Wright and, the ad insinuates, are just "too extreme for North Carolina."

Admittedly, it's a stretch, but give state GOP officials credit for trying to uphold tradition here, a la some of Jesse Helms' finest forays against Harvey Gantt. And they're doing so in the face of fierce opposition — much of it from within their own party. The Republican National Committee has objected to the ad. So has GOP presidential candidate John McCain, who said it "degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats."

Fortunately, the forces of tradition don't back down easily. As of Thursday evening, the state GOP still planned to air the ad. And the state's senior senator, Elizabeth Dole, was doing her part by refusing to get involved. "I'm just not going to get into refereeing a third party political ad that has nothing to do with my race," she told the Associated Press. (You go, girl!)

Let's let state GOP leader Linda Daves clue in McCain and the other namby-pambies. The Perdue-Moore-Obama-Wright advertisement, Daves says, "is about North Carolina, our values, and two Democrat candidates who are out of sync with the values of North Carolina."

There, you see? The ad is about values. So let's touch our finger to our nose and totter down the line of logic here: The GOP ad against Perdue and Moore reflects North Carolina values. John McCain and the Republican National Committee object to this ad. Ergo, John McCain and the Republican National Committee must represent the kind of extremism that is against North Carolina values.

Don't you just love good old-fashioned politics?

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