Hard to smear

John McCain has an ad out called “The Democrats’ Worst Nightmare,” in which various talking heads and Democratic operatives proclaim McCain the toughest candidate for the Dems to defeat in November. Here’s the ad:

The “testimonials” are fairly impressive, but I can do better. I’m reliably informed that more than a year ago, before McCain’s poll numbers tanked, Bill Clinton himself said that McCain was the one Republican candidate he feared. With McCain’s numbers back at “pre-tank” levels, I imagine this is Bill Clinton’s view today, as well.
UPDATE: The title of this post is not entirely apt. McCain would be hard for the Clinton’s to smear, but they could probably manage it. The real reason why the Dems fear McCain is his appeal to independents, which rests on his well-earned reputation as a maverick who does not regularly follow the Republican-conservative line.