Purple ink or purple haze?

It was probably inevitable.

In the one-upmanship among Badger Repubs to see who can scream "voter fraud" or "photo ID" the loudest, Congressman and gov wannabee Mark Green has taken it to another level.

This weekend, Green will give GOP convention-goers a chance to dip their fingers in purple ink.

Symbolizing what? That "if Iraqis are willing to dip their finger in ink to ensure voter integrity, Wisconsinites can show photo identification before casting a ballot," Green said in a press release.

Huh?

Did anyone ask Iraqis to show photo IDs cards? Did anyone verify their addresses or how long they had lived in the place they were voting? Were they screened against a list of felons?

Or, as seems more likely, did they allow anyone to vote who was willing to dip an index finger into the purple ink?

That insures that you don't vote more than once. But that's all it insures.

I guess that's the system Green thinks we should adopt in Wisconsin. I could live with that. We'd have to change a few of our election laws, like allowing felons to vote unless they are in prison. I could live with that, too.

But if Mark Green or any other Republican really thinks the election in Iraq was better run that the last presidential election in Wisconsin, he has gone way off the deep end. That kind of talk is nuttier than a fruitcake.

Wisconsin voters deserve better from someone who wants to be their governor. They should demand it. And so should the news media.