Susan Collins is freaking out already

It's well established that Susan Collins has a very thin skin. It's also well known that she tries to portray herself as a moderate while in Maine, but acts like a Bush-Lott-Santorum Republican back in D.C. So, it's probably no surprise that she's already freaking out. Know why? Because she's being filmed at public events. Not kidding:

The state's Democratic Party called it research, but U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' re-election campaign said the man with a video camera who tailed her at a recent parade was a low-down political nuisance.

The two sides clashed Monday over the increasingly popular tactic of "tracking," where campaign workers with video cameras follow opposing candidates, hoping to catch a YouTube-worthy blunder to be exploited for political gain.

The latest exchange in what is expected to be a hotly contested senate race stemmed from a Collins parade appearance Saturday.

Democrats, who are working to help U.S. Rep. Tom Allen unseat the Republican incumbent in November 2008, sent a man with a video camera to record Collins' every move. They said the tactic is a way to track what candidates are saying publicly and should be expected in a high-profile race.

Collins' campaign disagreed. Her chief of staff sent an open letter to Allen's campaign Monday, asking the congressman to persuade Democrats to abandon the strategy.

"Tactics such as tracking demean the political process, contribute to voter cynicism, and have no place in the type of substantive issues-oriented campaigns that our voters deserve," wrote Steve Abbott, Collins' chief of staff.

Yeah, right. Susan Collins, who broke her promise to Maine voters that she would only run for two terms, doesn't want to be held accountable. No Republicans want that.

Imagine whining like this so soon in the campaign. And, you have to wonder, what is she trying to hide? This is an election, not a coronation. But, hey, if you were a close friend and colleague of George Allen, like Ms. Collins, you wouldn't want to be watched either. It's going to be a long campaign for Susan Collins if she's so hysterical already.