McManus: Attack-dog days of summer

Forget lazing by Lake Winnipesaukee. Each candidate is engaged in a push to drive up the other's negatives.

The dog days of July were once a slow time in our presidential campaigns, a time when candidates could take vacations and voters could take a break. The party conventions were still a month or more away; aside from fundraising and backroom strategizing, there wasn't much to see.

martin harding & mazzotti