You know the rules: Vote for the person whose words or deeds over the past seven days you believe to be the most despicable. And the nominees...
1. John Smith: The registered sex offender out on parole who was arrested this week after allegedly breaking into cars and throwing a purse at two neighborhood teenagers who apprehend and beat the snot out of him.
2. Ike Skelton: The Missouri Congressman who told reporters on Tuesday that overturning the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy would be bad because it would force parents to explain homosexuality to children.
3. Tracia Johnson: The Cahokia woman sentenced to a year probation for tossing her abused pit bull in a trash can where it was found clinging to life with an electrical cord embedded in its skin.