Can you imagine...

...if this had been GOP staffers and Kerry campaign vans?

As it is, I don't expect a big deal will be made of it.

---Katie

5 Democrats charged in slashing of GOP tires
Chicago Tribune
January 25, 2005 Gretchen Ehlke

The sons of a first-term congresswoman and Milwaukee's former acting mayor were among five Democratic activists charged Monday with slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans to drive voters and monitors to the polls on Election Day.

Sowande Omokunde, son of Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), and Michael Pratt, son of ex-Milwaukee acting mayor Marvin Pratt, were charged with criminal damage to property, a felony.

The activists, all employees of Sen. John Kerry's campaign, are accused of flattening the tires on 25 vehicles rented by the Wisconsin Republican Party to get out the vote and deliver poll watchers Nov. 2.

The GOP rented more than 100 vehicles that were parked in a lot adjacent to a Bush campaign office. The party planned to drive poll watchers to polling places by 7 a.m. and deliver any voters who didn't have rides.

A criminal complaint said the defendants originally planned to put up Democratic yard signs, placards and bumper stickers at the Republican office in a scheme they called Operation Elephant Takeover. But the plan was dropped when they learned a security guard was posted at the GOP office, the complaint said.

One witness told investigators the five defendants, dressed in black outfits and knit caps, left the Democratic Party headquarters at about 3 a.m. on Nov. 2, and returned about 20 minutes later, extremely excited and talking about how they had slashed the tires.

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...