In a Kentucky Senate debate, the nagging specter of Aqua Buddha appeared again. The incident, first reported in a GQ article asserting that Rand Paul once "tied up a coed and tried to force her to take bong hits," has plagued the GOP candidate's campaign since the summer. On Tuesday night, Paul was lent a mostly sympathetic ear by Sean Hannity. The Fox News host called the Kentucky race the "nastiest" in America and asked Paul about the incident point blank (1:58 in the video below). "How do you even respond to something so ridiculous?" Paul began, before countering that "You know there was a time when hearsay and gossip was used to condemn men. It was 12th century Venice. I mean for goodness sakes, are we still in medieval times?"

Hannity gently mentioned the idea of Aqua Buddha being a college prank. Rand responded "I'm a pro-life Christian. I've never written or said anything to indicate otherwise," then pivoted discussion to his opponent's widely-panned attack ad. "I think really we've stooped to a new low in America," he declared. Hannity agreed, noting that California gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman was also subjected to similar charges.

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Erik Hayden