… doesn’t mean the National Republican Congressional Committee isn’t out to get you.

So this is what politics has come to: The NRCC has been sending out video “trackers” to ask provocative questions of Democratic members of Congress — in hopes of catching that “macaca” moment meant to be replayed on the Internet and possibly wound a vulnerable House member.

From McClatchy:

NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay told McClatchy that Democratic complaints were “whining,” adding that “The modern-day world of campaign politics demands that we track our opponents’ steps and missteps. We have nothing to hide when it comes to asking tough questions, but it appears that Democrats do when it comes to answering them.”

The NRCC doesn’t require its questioners to identify themselves as partisans on grounds that anyone has a right to approach a member of Congress and ask a question. It wouldn’t say how many lawmakers have been questioned: A GOP statement said that, “Videos are posted on a case-by-case basis.”

Republicans say they’re simply trying to hold Democratic lawmakers accountable. Since the Internet became an important part of campaigns, it’s not been unusual for candidates of any party to be tracked by their opponents.

One of the cameramen caught Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chris Carney the other day as he was walking down a Capitol Hill street. The interviewer asked first about a single provision in the massive economic stimulus bill, then asked if Carney was going to be “ready to vote tomorrow.” An irritated Carney answered: “Like I told you before, if I see the damn package, I’ll have an answer.”