Digby's right:

I've been reading around the blogosphere this morning quite a bit of advice that the Democrats should ignore Rove's comments. That by responding we are "playing into his hands" and "doing exactly what he wants us to do." ...

Dukakis didn't respond. Gore didn't respond. Clinton did respond, (although I suspect that the real reason it didn't work as well with him was because his womanizing problems made it difficult to subtly label him unmanly.) They just spent a hundred million dollars calling Kerry a "flip-flopper" which in case you didn't get it, was designed to make you think of a flaccid penis. These guys aren't very subtle.

The truth is that to ignore this stuff it is to play into Rove's hands. Because the whole point is to make us look weak. When you don't respond when people call you weak, you reinforce the charge.

For crying out loud, here's how to do it. The Poles were somewhat startled to become an issue in recent French politics, where talk about their economic maliase has somehow become dominated by the phantom threat of the Polish Plumber. How does the Polish tourism bureau respond? In your face. A buff Polish plumber can now be seen on billboards all over France, touting the virtues of his home country, and inviting the French to see for themselves: "I'm staying. And you should come."

Can't the Democrats, would-be leaders of the greatest country on the planet, do at least as well?