So now Rand Paul refused to shake Conway's hand at the debate last night in Louisville because he supposedly is so outraged about the Conway ad about his college day escapades that he can't stand to shake his hand. He also says he "may not" debate Conway anymore. He didn't appear on the Today Show this morning, giving Conway a free shot, which he took advantage of.

I honestly believe that Paul could have milked the outrage sentiment somewhat if he had carried through with what I think is false outrage, because some of his ads have been equally as outrageous, and it's hard to take the high ground when you are wallowing in the mud. Fortunately for Conway, he couldn't carry through.

Instead, he responded! Immediately! Dang, that only gives the ad legitimacy, doesn't it? I know it was a hard call, but I think he may have been better off letting dead dogs lie. And now, the aqua budda woman is talking to the national press, and confirming the story, although she says she thinks Conway went to far with the ad. But, the fact that the incident is confirmed and that Paul hasn't denied it will get people thinking.

It's really hard to know what went into the decision by the Conway camp to run such an ad. No matter how you slice and dice it, it's on the edge. But being on the edge isn't always bad. This time the edge is so thin that it's really hard to tell which way things are going to fall when they are sliced. But I just don't feel a lot of sympathy for Paul. Those pro-Paul ads where they show a look and sound alike of Obama saying things that he would never say, that's beyond the pale, and I would dare say flirting with racism, if not out and out racist.

I don't like having to see all these horrible TV political ads. Who does? But Paul is overblowing his reaction. Maintaining his composure seems like would have been a better solution. I'm not sure that responding so quickly really fixes his problem. But we will see. My gut tells me that Conway, who comes from eastern Kentucky, knows eastern Kentucky better and knows how to push the buttons that need to be pushed. It seems that he pushed one that made things move, and that may be just what he needed. In fact, the republican leaning Rasumussen daily tracking poll shows a noticable uptick for Conway. We'll find out in a couple weeks if it was the best or worst of political strategies.