Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's campaign makes an interesting claim in its latest ad: That the Republican incumbent who came out publicly against the Iraq War just after the 2006 elections was in fact "one of the first to stand up to George Bush and other Republicans to end this war," a questionable claim clearly meant to boost his image in this liberal anti-war state:

Obviously, a whole lot of other people were against the war well before November 2006 -- and Smith himself voted for the war in 2002 and remained a supporter for four years. As senior Oregon political columnist Jeff Mapes points out, the ad "might have been accurate if she called Smith one of the first Republicans to oppose the war."

"Sen. Smith is proud to have been one of the first Republicans to advocate an end to the war in Iraq," Smith campaign spokesperson Lindsay Gilbride told Election Central via e-mail. "Regardless of the political season, he will continue working with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance our national security, strengthen our economy and promote energy independence."