After tolerating attacks on her - by Edwards and Obama - for months, Senator Hillary Clinton decided to fight back a week or so ago. Now, she has stepped up her attacks against Senator Barack Obama questioning his character.

Sunday she said that “he has a character issue because of his assertions that his health insurance plan covers all Americans (which she disputes) and because his old political action committee spread around money in early presidential nominating states.”

When asked directly whether Obama has a character problem Clinton answered that it’s up to the voters to decide about that but she added: ““It’s beginning to look a lot like that – it really is, where we can’t get a straight answer on health care, where somebody runs on ethics and not taking money from certain people is found to have at least skirted if not violated F.E.C. rules and to use lobbyists and Pac money to do so. You’re going to have ask the Obama campaign, but I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans and attacking problems of our country because ultimately that’s what I want to do as president.”

She went on to say: “But I have been for months on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks – well now the fun part starts. We’re into the last month, and we’re going to start drawing the contrasts, because I want every Iowans to have accurate information when they make their decisions.”

In response to her attacks, Obama’s campaign has set up a new website: “Hillary Attacks.” David Plouffe, the Obama campaign manager, wrote in a post at the site:

Today we’re launching a website that will keep track of all the attacks Senator Clinton has launched since she said she wasn’t interested in attacking other Democrats at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on November 10th. We’re asking all of you to be vigilant and notify us immediately of any attacks from Senator Clinton or her supporters as soon as you see them so that we can respond with the truth swiftly and forcefully.

This attacks could be phone calls, literature drops, blog posts mail pieces as well as radio and TV ads. Some could even be anonymous or designed to be. Please email us at hillaryattacks@barackobama.com the moment you see something that concerns you.

The Washington Post has more: the newspaper’s Anne E. Kornblut argues that Clinton has decided to go after Obama because he’s now ahead in Iowa polls, which sounds about right to me. She has tried to create an air of invincibility but she can’t let Obama get away with his attacks and she can’t let him create momentum. She, most likely, hoped that it wouldn’t have to come to this. On the other hand, American politicians have to be able and willing to play dirty. It’s part of the game.

The nastiness, though, continues to amaze me. Obama and Edwards go after Clinton. Clinton strikes back. Websites are created (Hillary has such a website as well) to counter attacks from opponents who are members of the same party… We only see this happening in America; which is why it’s fun to watch American politics of course.

Gaius comments: “Charming. Now we have that to look forward to. I can but hope that when the really ugly side of Hillary’s ambition is fully out on display that the voters decide that they do not like what they are seeing. Mitt Romney is apparently now focusing on attacking Mike Hucabee, so the nasty option also exists on the Republican side. I don’t think it will turn vicious on the Republican side, though. I have no doubt that it will with Hillary’s attacks.”

Frankly, I’ve got no doubt that it will get just as vicious on the Republican side. In fact, I see little to no difference between the two parties in this regard. They’re all quite willing to destroy the careers of their opponents. It’s part of the game, and Hillary is not nastier than the other candidates; she’s just better at it than most because she’s got more experience.

And now we will see whether Barack Obama’s talent can make up for his lack of experience: can he fight dirty as well as Clinton can? He has to; if he doesn’t, he won’t stand a chance against the Republican nominee either, because that’s when the gloves will truly come off.

More at TNR and Memeorandum.