Rather than type it myself, I'll just let Steve Benen do it for me:

Recent polling shows Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) trailing in her re-election fight in North Carolina against Democrat Kay Hagan, so it stands to reason that she's getting a little desperate.

I didn't think she'd get this desperate.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole's latest advertisement suggests her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan, is a godless heathen.

"A leader of the Godless Americans PAC recently held a secret fundraiser for Kay Hagan," the 30-second spot says, showing footage of the group's members talking about their atheist beliefs on cable news.

"Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took godless money," the ad concludes. "What did Kay Hagan promise in return?"

At the very end of the ad, a voice sounding like Hagan's says: "There is no God."

Seriously, Dole used a Hagan impersonator to make voters think she's an atheist.

It's hard to know where to start with an ad this deplorable. First, Hagan is actually a Sunday school teacher and an elder in her church. Second, the fundraiser in question was co-hosted by 40 people, one of whom is on the board of an atheist political action committee. Third, there's nothing scandalous about non-believers.

And fourth, what the hell is "godless money"?

Maybe "godless money" is money with the words "In God We Trust" etched out — I don't know.

The sad part is that there exists a significant portion of dumbass hicks in this state (is it elitist for me to say that?) who will see this ad and go "fuck yeah" without so much of a thought about whether it is true, or without reflection on its stupidity, i.e., its reference to "godless money".  However, those people are already Dole voters.  I'm not sure (at least I hope) it's going to motivated very many undecideds.

UPDATE:  Here's the commercial, if you can stomach it.  It's already being called one of the most vile in this campaign season.

UPDATE:  Hagan isn't taking this lying down.