Aug. 3--COLUMBUS -- Are politicians paranoid or are their enemies really out to get them?

Let's put four seemingly unrelated recent incidents to the test.

Two freshman Democratic state representatives are campaigning door to door in their districts when suddenly they are attacked and bitten by dogs.

Yes, it sounds like the setup for a punch line.

Unfortunately for Steve Dyer from Green and Matt Lundy from Elyria, the stories are true.

Both men are fine, although Dyer spent a weekend in the hospital to ward off infection.

The attacks have spawned the obvious jokes.

Were the dogs given their rabies shots after they bit the candidates?

Did anyone check whether Rover is a registered Republican?

All humor must contain a grain of truth, but Republicans are not using canines to stop Democrats from going door to door.

So should Dyer and Lundy be paranoid? Of course. Your enemies are out to get you.

No. 2: Two Republican candidates for the Ohio House drop out of the campaign to take jobs in Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's administration.

Strickland creates a position with a fancy title -- director of Insurance and Financial Development -- in his development department that will pay $115,000 annually to state Rep. Jim Raussen, R-Cincinnati.

The governor has also promised a job to state Sen. Robert Spada, R-North Royalton. Spada faced term limits in the Senate and was attempting to return to the Ohio House.

Democrats need to pick up four seats if they want to grab the majority in the lower chamber for the first time since 1995, and removing Raussen and Spada from the races will improve their chances.

Republicans are crying foul and criticizing Strickland for playing politics by baiting GOP candidates with lucrative positions.

Should Republicans be paranoid? Of course. Your enemies are out to get you.

No. 3: House Republicans bring back an attack dog of a different sort, Scott Borgemenke, to run their campaigns.

Borgemenke was chief of staff for the House Republicans until leaving this year to take a job as Magna Entertainment Corp.'s executive vice president. Magna owns Thistledown.

Upon returning, Borgemenke did not issue a statement outlining how he was going to help Republicans maintain their majority in the House to ensure taxes are low, families are safe, criminals are scared.

Instead, he told a joke.

"When they asked me to return, they had me at hello," Borgemenke said in a news release. "Campaigns complete me."

You know those really ugly, nasty, attack ads you see on television during campaigns? Well, Borgemenke is responsible for his fair share.

He was part of the Ohio House team in 2006 that ran a television commercial that blew up a photo of a black man to attack a Democrat for being soft on crime.