This is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very wrong

You knew it was coming, but still, this is beyond condemnation.

In an apparent push poll, a research firm has called Iowa Republicans this week praising John McCain and critcizing Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith.

An individual in Manchester, Iowa, contacted me on Wednesday night saying he received a call with information about McCain's military service and anti-spending record.

Then there were "lots of negatives on Romney," said the recepient of the call in an e-mail, including mentions of his "flip-flops," hiring illegal immigrants as landscapers and extensive discussion of Mormonism.

"Statements were on baptizing the dead, the Book of Mormon being on the level of the Bible, and one about equating it to a cult," said the Iowan, deeming them "common criticisms of Mormonism."

"I think they asked twice if being a Mormon would be an issue," this person added.

The McCain campaign claims no knowledge. The Giuliani campaign claims no knowledge. The AP tracked this call to Western Wats.

Last year, Western Wats conducted polling that was intended to spread negative messages about Democratic candidates in a House race in New York and the Senate race in Florida. The Tampa Tribune and the Albany Times Union reported that Western Wats conducted the calls on behalf of the Tarrance Group.

Tarrance Group now works for the Giuliani campaign, but it denies any involvement. The best guess seems to be that it's coming from a 527 (likely the pro-McCain one) who used Western Wats to try and tie it to Giuliani.

This is wrong. This is unAmerican.

And, unsurprisingly, it's once again coming from Republicans.