I generally avoid taking stands on politics and specific policies on this blog, but the presidential election is the Superbowl of campaigning, so I will dissect the occasional example for nature protection and pollution control experts to learn from. And here’s one now:

Hat tip to this blog for spotting the bumper sticker

So let’s imagine for a moment that we’re the John McCain for President Campaign, and a reporter has just asked you for a reaction to this bumper sticker. Which of the following would be the better thing to say:

• John McCain is not crotchety old man
• John McCain is in excellent health and has the experience to the lead the nation in difficult times

Pretty easy, isn’t it. After all, the more the John McCain campaign denies that their candidate is a crotchety old man, the more some people will believe he is a crotchety old man. It’s not fair — but that’s how denials play out in the public’s ears and minds.

And the same principal applies to you, too. Let’s imagine that you are campaigning to protect some natural areas that help ensure clean drinking water for families in a city downstream. And a reporter has just asked you to react to this bumper sticker, which is starting to appear on pickup trucks in the region:

Source for the sticker: bumperaRt

Should you say:

• We are not environmental extremists!
• Something else.

If you picked “something else,” what would that be?