"McGavick's hardball consultant"

Sometimes you can really be thankful we still have two daily newspapers in this town, although David Postman's contribution today is online only:

One of the top advisors on Mike McGavick's civility-themed Senate campaign is an accomplished purveyor of the negative political ad. Henry "Eddie" Mahe Jr. says that reputation "may or may not have anything to do with reality." But just minutes into an interview earlier today, it's clear this guy isn't afraid to land a punch.

"I bring to the campaign sufficient experience to be able to evaluate what might make the most sense given the circumstances of the race we have to run. There are times you chop people's heads off and there are times when you don't. I've done both. This is not a formulaic business. This isn't chemistry."

Mahe, 69, says he and McGavick are long time friends. McGavick hired Mahe for Slade Gorton's 1988 election, which McGavick managed. Mahe said he'd work on the McGavick campaign for free "if it were not for the insanity of these laws." As a professional campaign consultant, the law won't allow him to work gratis.