Rick Wiley, state GOP executive director, discovered the vandalism on the morning of Election Day.

"It was unbelievable that people could stoop this low in a political campaign," he said. "I figured it had to be someone from the opposition. But I didn't think someone on the paid (John) Kerry campaign would do this."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted sources Sunday as saying the five were paid staffers.

Wiley didn't say whether the vandalism prevented anyone from voting, but he said poll watchers were about two hours late.

Just before election day, the GOP tried to have 37,000 voters challenged or removed from the rolls because they didn't go to the Post Office to sign for a registered letter from the party. Given that, I'd say there's a good chance that keeping these guys away from the polls actually helped people to vote, since their purpose was to stop anyone who didn't look Republican enough from casting a ballot.

(Disclaimer: tire-slashing is bad in any party.)

What liberal media?

USATODAY.com - Two key Republican lawmakers suggested Sunday that Social Security is not in crisis and questioned President Bush's proposal to let younger workers invest part of their payroll taxes in private accounts.

Thousands of Democrats have been shouting for a month that there is no crisis, but no one "questions" it until two Republicans do? Yeesh.

Update: Via Romenesko, the Washingtonian says USA Today, home of the above myopia, will continue to be the White House's favorite newspaper "because it plays softball. Judy Keen and Richard Benedetto get excellent access in exchange for their generally gentle coverage." The story above was by Jill Lawrence, but nonetheless. Romenesko says:

Jaffe adds it's a sure bet the White House will continue to bully reporters in '05. ABC's Ann Compton tells him: "This administration has always punched back hard in real time when they didn’t like a story. I can only imagine in the second term they will push back even harder."