The Gang of Four

A plump, coifed blonde in a too-tight pink suit slithers across an Iraqi battlefield to pick the pocket of a soldier on the front lines. Cut to the same woman creeping up to a coffin, stealing personal items from a corpse. And now the blonde again, dunking a family in toxic waste.

The disturbing scenes in these TV commercials were a stab at Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a social conservative and a zealous proponent of an amendment banning gay marriage, and the spots referenced Musgrave's stances on issues such as bonuses for soldiers, veterans' benefits, and environmental issues. The ad campaign was a warning shot that shocked voters and Republicans across the state, and the message was clear: Somewhere out there a group with money, strategy and an unapologetic, down-and-dirty fearlessness was taking in-your-face shots at the Republican leadership in Colorado.