Shaw's campaign explained the vote in the Boca Raton News by saying the amendment was "totally unenforceable" and slapped down Klein's attack as "shameful." Shaw's chief of staff, Eric Eikenberg, also told the newspaper, "Clearly, Mr. Klein will do and say anything to get elected."

The intensely negative race shows no signs of abating. Klein is ramping up his strategy of tying Shaw to "business as usual" politics and the current woes of the Bush administration. Shaw, meanwhile, is issuing a similar line of attack, calling his challenger nothing more than a mouthpiece of the national Democratic Party. The fight is playing out in the local media, as both candidates seek to push hot-button issues for the "condo commandos," local slang for the many retirees who have settled in Florida's sunny 22nd District.

Energy prices, hurricane protection, and the controversial prescription drug plan are favorite topics. As is Social Security. Since the race began last year, Klein has hammered Shaw for his support of personal Social Security accounts (unlike as in Bush's plan, Shaw believes general tax revenues should provide the funding). This week, Klein announced a proposal of his own, though details are still forthcoming—perhaps as soon as next week. Attacking Shaw's plan as "a lack of fiscal stewardship," Klein is promising that he is "committed to protecting and updating Social Security for today's retirees and for generations to come."

In broad strokes, Klein's plan opposes "privatization," cuts to benefits, and any contribution to the national debt. Shaw says his plan would add more than $3 trillion to the national debt in the short term but would generate a surplus over 75 years. As the details of Klein's plan are released, expect this war of words to become a war of numbers as well.–Bret Schulte