It doesn't get much more clear-cut than this: a longtime Democratic congressman of Lebanese Christian descent is being repeatedly attacked on air for the offense of being Arab.

In the past month, three attack ads that gratuitously draw attention to the ethnic background of Rep. Nick Rahall have aired in the West Virginia district that he has represented since 1977. Two of the ads come from his opponent, former judge Spike Maynard, who is down in the polls.

Beyond this particular race, these ads show (again) that you can get away with an awful lot if the other guy is Arab or Muslim.