All's fair in love and war, and in elections, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He was referring to the smear campaign against Hulu Selangor by-election candidate Zaid Ibrahim, doctored pictures of whom have appeared in BN-friendly blogs.
Mahathir, a veteran of election campaigns since his first election as MP in 1964, pointed out that he, too, had been at the receiving end of such tactics.
Saya dulu pun kena macam-macam (I, too, have been hit with all sorts of attacks). Last time, someone said I had a (second) Chinese wife, in Singapore.
"That's politics," he quipped.