For many people, that was just about the first thing they knew about Kerry.

Still, I think all the old attacks on Hillary will be resurrected, and in their familiarity, they will take on the resonance of Truthiness.

"You know she killed Vince Foster... that's what I heard!"

"They say that she's a lesbian. That's why she doesn't mind Bill fooling around on her."

"I don't know... she's a little bit of a nut. Remember that whole 'Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy' thing?"

"I'm still angry at her about that whole thing about 'staying home and baking cookies'!  She's contemptuous of stay-at-home moms!"

I'm getting tired of playing this game. The right wing is better at it than I am - I have no stomach for it.

Look, Hillary would be 1000 times the President that W is. No argument.  I don't see how she get from here to there, but Lord knows I've been wrong before.

But to suggest that smears need to be based on new information... that's not really true. They're most effective when they leverage off of what people are already inclined to believe about someone.  And the more they know of someone, the more they are inclined to have some opinion that can be exploited by exaggeration.