As a follow-up to the very successful Blue America House contest two weeks ago, we're starting a week long Senate competition today. You can vote for the candidate of your choice on our dedicated Blue America contest page and whether you give $1 or $10 or a thousand dollars, it counts as a vote for the candidate (or candidates) or your choice.

Crooks & Liars asked each campaign to submit an ad that could be used with the donations we collect this week. Texas, and especially the Houston area, was struck very hard by Hurricane Ike and the Noriega campaign has essentially diverted all its energy and resources towards the recovery efforts and Rick himself is on Army National Guard duty where he is a Lieutenant Colonel. We had to excuse them from creating an ad in the midst of all the chaos and turmoil there. How about taking a look at each one of the other ads and visualizing helping to put them on TV? And while you're at it, visualize a U.S. Senate without John Cornyn, Susan Collins, James Inhofe, Gordon Smith, and Ted Stevens.

Andrew Rice:

Mark Begich:

Jeff Merkley:

Tom Allen:

  PolitickerME: 

Senate candidates Susan Collins (R-Bangor) and Tom Allen (D-Portland) both denounced an ad that hit Collins on her support of the Iraq War.

The ad is from the third party veterans' organization VoteVets.org that opposes the Iraq War.[..]

The campaigns for both Collins, the incumbent, and Allen, a current U.S. Representative, released statement on the ad.

First, the Collins campaign called on Allen to denounce the ad, citing a recent promise Allen made to denounce all third party ads.[..]

One hour later the Allen campaign responded. Communications director Carol Andrews said that Allen would in fact denounce the ad.[..]

Andrews then turned to both candidates' records on the war, criticizing Collins for opposing a deadline for withdrawal.

"Because he feels so strongly about a deadline for withdrawal, Tom Allen has repeatedly voted against measures for funding that do not include binding deadlines for withdrawal," Andrews wrote. "Susan Collins has repeatedly opposed setting timelines or deadlines."

Help me out, why is a Democrat denouncing a VoteVets ad against his rival?  Why have they not figured out that they have public sentiment with them to go hard on this Iraq issue?  I understand not wanting to go negative yourself, but that's what proxies are for...don't hamstring them, especially when it's the truth.

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While the rest of the country seems to have forgotten about Iraq, in Maine's Senate race the issue is front and center. Bush Enabler Susan Collins is being confronted both for her support of the war and her lack of oversight when she chaired the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2003-07) and is now the republican ranking member, a committee chaired by her good, good friend Joe Lieberman with similar disastrous consequences.

The news report from WGME in Portland is noteworthy not only for the content but the inclusion of some of Robert Greenwald's Iraq For Sale footage.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger Tom Allen are sparring over whether she should have called executives from Halliburton before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Allen tells News 13 that Collins and her committee failed in its oversight role when it came to American contractors like Halliburton and KBR in Iraq.

Collins responds by saying she focused on legislation calling for greater accountability among contractors. That includes a special inspector general in Iraq, an office that has led to investigations, audits and criminal indictments.

Collins says results are more important than political theater, but Allen says she was "missing in action" when she was most needed.

Congressman Tom Allen is a Blue America endorsed candidate for the United States Senate.