Decades of warfare between the Iroquois and Cherokee gave Kentucky its name, the "dark and bloody ground." The tradition of bloodthirsty cunning has survived with a vengeance in Kentucky politics, turned vote-hunting into a boyhood sport, factional throat-cutting into a party game that everybody enjoys. For the past quarter-century, two tough Democratic leaders have led their rival factions through a war that has engaged courthouse politicians in 120 counties. Last week, stalking each other behind hand-picked slates of candidates for state offices, the scarred chieftains were grappling toward a major test...
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