As we begin this school year, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D – Mass) are kissing hands and shaking babies in preparation for the November election. One of the campaign's most controversial aspects has been negative advertising from soft money 527 organizations such as the liberal MoveOn.org and, most recently, the conservative Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

One Swift Boat television ad claims Kerry exaggerated his Vietnam experience for personal gain. Despite the questionable validity of the ad's claims (no one in the ad served with Kerry on the boats, and some have made contradictory statements), it has shifted the negative focus of the campaign onto Kerry. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth could not be reached for comment for this column.

I know what some readers are thinking: "Here's another liberal columnist who's going to spout his 'moral' indignation over this ad." On the contrary, I'm a big fan of the Swift Boat ad. I don't agree with it, but I think it has worked.

For example, on Aug. 26, Ronald Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times reported in "Bush Edges Ahead of Kerry for the 1st Time" that over the past several weeks Kerry experienced "consistent erosion compared with July on questions relating to his Vietnam experience, his honesty and his fitness to serve as commander in chief."

Clearly, Bush's negative ad strategy is working. Oh wait, the ad isn't Bush's, right? It's a soft money group's ad. Au contraire. Last week, unpaid Bush adviser Ken Cordier and Bush legal adviser Benjamin Ginsberg – both associated with the Swift Boat group – resigned from Bush's campaign. Bush-Cheney '04 spokesperson Merrill Smith responded, "No laws were violated. There was no coordination" between the campaign and the 527.

Yet, when two like-minded groups share advisers, they look coordinated. To be fair, it should be noted that Bush called for an end to 527 advertising and has asked Sen. John McCain (R – Ariz.) to help in the effort. Smith said, "Our campaign never endorsed the ads. We want to enforce McCain-Feingold."

However, Bush never condemned the claims made in the Swift Boat ads. He's made it a point to say nothing about the ads. Kerry-Edwards 2004 spokesperson Bill Burton said, "Bush should have the guts to stand with John McCain and say these ads are dishonest and dishonorable."

Bush is having his cake and eating it too. He benefits from the soft money Swift Boat ads (in which members of his campaign were involved) and he can also sit back at a safe distance and bemoan 527s without specifically condemning the anti-Kerry charges. It's really a great strategy.

Kerry needs to realize that if Bush is using the political equivalent of brass knuckles, he can't expect a fair fight. Bush's campaign wants to win and they'll tell a few lies and share a few 527 advisers to do it. To Kerry's credit, Burton says Kerry's focus is issues that matter to the middle class rather than Bush-like smear campaigns. Sure, Bush will discuss the issues like a gentleman … after wounding Kerry to the point that no one will listen. If I were Kerry, I'd pull the out some political brass knucks … fast.