Pat DeWine stood up at a candidates' forum in Sharonville last week, and asked opponent John Dowlin to shake on a pledge to keep their ads clean for the rest of the campaign.

DeWine put out his hand - and Dowlin crossed his arms and left it hanging in midair. "You wouldn't shake hands with me this morning," Dowlin angrily yelped.

It was mostly political stagecraft. After all, DeWine's "treaty" was like Japan telling Truman, "We won't drop any more atomic bombs if you don't." Dowlin had the bomb, and he used it.

But refusing a handshake did not seem in character for the gentlemanly, soft-spoken grandfather of Hamilton County.

Finding a dark side of Dowlin is like hearing that Santa Claus beats his elves. Dowlin has spent 28 years in politics building a reputation for kindness, integrity and good manners.

But he seems to be having doubts about his ad painting DeWine as an unethical philanderer. "It does hurt to get even one e-mail saying they don't like me."

I asked him if he worries that it stains his reputation, win or lose. "It may well be," he said. "It certainly is raising my name I.D., but will it win votes or not, I don't know. I get e-mails on both sides."

Dowlin said his advisers told him he needed more name recognition to win. But there's more to it than that.

He also felt like DeWine was getting away with murder. "I don't understand why there was no media directed at his attacks on me. This is a counter-attack."

A year ago, party officials thought they had a deal for Dowlin to step down and let them appoint a replacement.

Dowlin said he remembers speculation that he wouldn't run, but too many people told him they wanted him to stay. Whatever happened, Dowlin decided not to retire - and the GOP was headed for a train wreck.

If he had stepped aside, one of the candidates now running in a Republican primary to face Democrat Todd Portune could instead be running as an incumbent in Dowlin's seat.

Republicans will have a hard time beating Portune. And whoever wins the DeWine vs. Dowlin race may be crippled.

Dowlin blames Party Chairman Michael Barrett for "benign neglect." He says party tradition has been to back incumbents and chase away challenges. "If they stay neutral, it's the same as being against me" he says.

He says Barrett is not as strong as previous party chairmen.

"If you go back to the Gene Ruehlmann days, he would say 'Here's the way it's gonna be,' not 'What do you want to do?'"

But others blame Dowlin for indecision and a weak campaign.

Barrett is stuck in the middle. "This is indeed a unique situation, because two current officeholders are running and I have to stay neutral," he said, choosing his words very carefully.

Once upon a time, everyone in Hamilton County could set their watch by the well-oiled Republican Party Rolex. But it's not what it used to be.

And the timing couldn't be worse. The party is emptying drawers looking for someone to run against Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken in 2005. And Republicans are just as desperate to unify and deliver Ohio for President Bush.

But some won't even shake hands.

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E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301.