Well, wonderful: Mel Martinez, anti-gay bigot, whose endorsement by a Florida newspaper for the Senate Republican primary was rescinded last week in favor of his primary opponent, won the primary anyway.

From the above-mentioned editorial:

No matter what else Martinez may accomplish in public life, his reputation will be forever tainted by his campaign’s nasty and ludicrous slurs of McCollum in the final days of this race. The slurs culminated with Martinez campaign advertisements that label McCollum – one of the most conservative moralists in Washington during his 20 years as a U.S. representative – “the new darling of the homosexual extremists” because he once favored a hate crime law that had bipartisan support. A few days earlier, the Martinez campaign arranged a conference call with reporters in which a group of right-wing Martinez supporters labeled McCollum “antifamily.” Why? Because McCollum supports expanded stem cell research to find cures for deadly diseases – a position that is identical to those of Nancy Reagan, Connie Mack and many other prominent Republicans.

At Friday night’s Republican Senate debate, McCollum confronted Martinez and called on him to repudiate his campaign’s sleazy, homophobic advertisements. Martinez refused. Later, he said he “wouldn’t be in favor of that kind of rhetoric.” But the rhetoric calling McCollum “the new darling of the homosexual extremists” and accusing him of making “statements in order to appease … the radical homosexual lobby” was included in advertising paid for by the Martinez campaign. If Martinez failed to review the ads before they were sent out under his name, he was irresponsible. If he knew what was in the ads and is now trying to distance himself, he is being dishonest. Either way, Floridians deserve better in a U.S. senator.

Martinez finally pulled the most offensive of the anti-McCollum ads from the air Saturday after a call from Gov. Jeb Bush, but he still hasn’t disowned the slimy content of the ads.

When is this kind of crap going to end?