How far is too far?

During any political campaign, advertising is a primary tool campaigns use to get a candidate's message across to voters.

I don't believe this is a good thing, but it would be naïve to believe that most voters take the time to thoughtfully consider a candidate's views on the issues. Maybe we are all too lazy, but there can be no denying the impact a well-crafted commercial can have on a voter.

When it comes to political advertising, negativity seems to rule the day. Attack ads often are the commercial of choice and many are as sharp as a surgeon's knife.

Recently, a commercial pushed the limits of what is acceptable in a political ad. A commercial financed by two liberal groups focused on John McCain's bouts with cancer.

The commercial claimed that McCain had not done enough to discuss the issue and called on him to release his medical records.

In classic attack ad style, the commercial showed black and white photo close-ups of McCain's face to emphasize the scars left by the removal of his melanomas.

When a group wants to go negative, they always employ black and white footage or photos to make the other candidate look bad. After that initial visual impression, they often conclude the commercial with a color photo of the candidate they are supporting to make him appear more appealing and attractive.

It isn't a sophisticated technique, but it is effective.

The commercial in question was turned down by several networks, but did air briefly on MSNBC. However, the ad was quickly pulled after an avalanche of criticism.

Even though I believe the commercial went too far, it did raise an interesting question. How far is too far when it comes to political advertising?

It's not an easy question to answer. Campaigns want to be on the cutting edge when it comes to getting out its message, but the margin for error is often quite small.

Obviously, the health of a candidate is an important issue, and McCain's bouts with cancer should be talked about. However, the makers of that commercial took an insensitive approach to a sensitive issue and got roasted because of it.

Of course, miscalculations like this are nothing new. In the television age, perhaps the most famous example of this was the 'Daisy Girl' commercial during the Lyndon Johnson/Barry Goldwater campaign in 1964.

The commercial was a pro-Johnson ad. In it, a little girl was shown in a field picking petals off a flower. Then the screen turned black and was followed by a blinding flash and a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion. A narrator then encouraged voters to vote for Johnson.

The commercial was yanked after one showing and generated a lot of controversy. However, it did nothing to stop Johnson's march to an overwhelming victory in the election.

As our current campaign trudges along, there will likely be more commercials that push the envelope. After all, the purpose of these ads is to generate publicity for a candidate, and these days, there appears to be no such thing as bad publicity.

Even if a special interest group takes a cheap shot at a candidate, the candidate that the commercial was supposed to help can often make himself appear more statesmanlike by denouncing the attack on his opponent.

As much as the public complains about negative campaigning, there is no denying that it works.

Negativity rules when it comes to political commercials. It says a lot about the candidates, but it also says a lot about all of us.

Tennessee Titans look to go 5-0 at Baltimore

The National Football League is definitely a lot more interesting when your favorite team is winning. The Tennessee Titans are 4-0 and have several exciting months ahead of them. On the other hand, winless teams like the St. Louis Rams are already looking ahead to next season.

The Titans next challenge is on Sunday at Baltimore. On the surface, the Ravens have several weaknesses. Quarterback Joe Flacco is a rookie, and the Titans' defense knows it will have plenty of opportunities to attack him physically and mentally. Plus, the Ravens running attack has been lackluster. Running back Willis McGahee is struggling with a rib injury, and the entire offensive unit lacks a lot of punch.

However, the Ravens are 2-1, and that is primarily because of their defense. Yes, many of their players are old by NFL standards, but they are still getting the job done. Linebacker Ray Lewis may not have the skills he once had, but he does a masterful job of motivating his teammates.

As for the Titans, life is great, but playing on the road is tough. True, they did post an impressive road win at Cincinnati earlier this season, but that win has been tainted somewhat by how truly awful the Bengals are.

The Titans are the better team, and the Ravens are coming off an emotional loss last Monday, meaning they've had a shorter week to prepare for this game.

Are the Titans due for a let down? It will happen at some point...but not this week.

The pick: Tennessee 17 Baltimore 10

Other picks: Indianapolis over Houston, Jacksonville over Pittsburgh, New Orleans over Minnesota, Carolina over Kansas City, Denver over Tampa Bay

Last week: 4-2 (.667), Overall: 14-9 (.609)

Tennessee in a must-win situation against Northern Illinois this Saturday

Back in the summer, I never dreamed this week's game against Northern Illinois would be a must-win game for the Tennessee Volunteers. However, that is what it has become after opening with three losses in four games. Tennessee has to win this game to keep its bowl hopes alive.

As we all know, the offense can't consistently move the ball, much less score. The loss to Auburn was one of the most frustrating ones in recent years because of all the opportunities we had to pull it out in the fourth quarter. Great field position was squandered time after time.

As of this writing, we don't know who will start at quarterback for the Vols. Phillip Fulmer said Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens will split snaps this week in practice. My guess is that we will see both of them a lot the rest of the season. But to paraphrase an old football cliché: "Any team that has to play two quarterbacks really doesn't have one at all."

The bottom line is all the Vols need from the quarterback position is consistent management of the game. This is because the defense has looked really good the last two games, and special teams improved significantly against Auburn.

We have to avoid the crippling mistakes that we've seen time after time this year.

As for this week, the Vols will win, but we are still feeling our way.

The pick: Tennessee 24 Northern Illinois 17

Other SEC picks: Vanderbilt over Auburn, Florida over Arkansas, Ole Miss over South Carolina, Alabama over Kentucky

Last week: 5-2 (.714), Overall: 34-9 (.791)