Thursday, we posted this warning from Markos:

The GOP is desperate. Expect the worst of the worst to start hitting here soon. Jeremiah Wright is overdue for his second act, as well as Ayers, the Muslim crap, and anything else desperate Republicans can fabricate. At this point, they literally have nothing to lose.

As expected, the negative onslaught is on its way. This is round two for the McCain and his campaign. They spent July, August and early September in attack mode — aided and abetted by smarmy tactics from State Republican parties and a slew of outside groups. But, from here on out, it’s going to be nothing but negative, That is already true of McCain t.v. ads, which TPM Election Central reported are “Nearly 100 Percent Devoted To Attack Ads.”

Today’s Washington Post reports:

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama’s character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat’s judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said. With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain’s team has decided that its emphasis on the senator’s biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan’s campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls. “We’re going to get a little tougher,” a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. “We’ve got to question this guy’s associations. Very soon. There’s no question that we have to change the subject here,” said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Change the subject. Of course McCain wants “to move the conversation away from the economy. But, one thing Team McCain doesn’t grasp is that just about every family in America is having a conversation about the economy. This year, the American people are actually paying attention to issues. But, McCain is banking on the idea that negative attack ads will make us all forget that the economy is on the brink of disaster.

We’ve seen the Obama campaign get tougher and much sharper over the past few weeks. The candidate himself is on a roll. They’re not going to set back and take McCain’s attacks. The new “John McCain raised taxes 477 times” ad, which John posted last night, is a good example. None of us will take it this time. We’re all going to have to fight back — and we will.

John McCain already sold his soul to Karl Rove. These next few weeks are going to define him forever.