The latest attack ads in the bitter U-S Senate race have Senator Harry Reid and Republican challenger Sharron Angle accusing each other of protecting sex offenders.

We examined the Reid campaign's ad last time. Now we take a look at an Angle ad that claims Reid wants to give sex offenders Viagra.

"Big Clue :30 TV Spot"
"I'm Sharron Angle and I approve this message."
"Want to know just how out of touch Harry Reid is?
Spending $787 billion on a stimulus that failed is a start.
Or Reid voting to give illegal aliens special tax breaks and social security benefits is another big clue.
But here's the kicker. Reid actually voted to use taxpayer dollars to pay for Viagra for convicted child molesters and sex offenders.
What else could you ever need to know about Harry Reid?

OK, Let's rewind and take another look, point by point.

"Want to know just how out of touch Harry Reid is?
Spending $787 billion on a stimulus that failed is a start."

Well it's true Reid voted for the stimulus package. It's whether the stimulus failed that's in dispute. While it hasn't fully restored the nation's economy, many, if not most, economists say it prevented an even deeper recession or depression. Here in Nevada it has funded projects ranging from school renovation to roads and created or saved thousands of jobs.

"Or Reid voting to give illegal aliens special tax breaks and social security benefits is another big clue."

We've examined these charges in previous reports as have other independent truth checkers. They refer to votes taken during the 2006 immigration reform debate.

That "special tax break" is the Earned Income Tax Credit. An incentive for the poor to seek employment, it's hardly a special tax break. Anyway Reid wrote an amendment insuring anyone living here illegally couldn't get it.

So, we have to again call this claim FALSE,

Illegal aliens also can't receive Social Security benefits, though current law already allows them to receive such benefits once they have gained legal status.

The vote was actually on amendments offered by Senator Ensign to change the calculation of benefits to prevent anyone from collecting benefits based on money they paid into the system under a false Social Security number. The amendments failed twice before passing overwhelmingly in 2007, Senator Reid voting yes. That final vote goes unmentioned in the ad.

So, again we'll call this claim MISLEADING at best.

"But here's the kicker. Reid actually voted to use taxpayer dollars to pay for Viagra for convicted child molesters and sex offenders."

This does sound out of touch....with reality and might have you scratching your head until you look further and learn the background to this claim.

During the debate on the health care reform bill, Republicans opposed to the bill as a whole offered a number of amendments to slow or kill it entirely.

The margin was razor thin. Senate Democrats knew any changes, no matter how small, would kill the bill.

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma proposed an amendment prohibiting prescription drug coverage for Viagra for convicted sex offenders, citing a Congressional Research Service report that there was nothing to prohibit such coverage.

It was a poison pill that made reform supporters choose between passing a bill or helping opponents write ads like this. Senator Max Baucus called it a "crass political stunt."

Senators in favor of health care reform rejected the amendment on procedural grounds to save the bill as a whole, knowing as they did they would face this very charge in 2010.

At this point the issue of insurance coverage allowing Viagra for convicted sex offenders is hypothetical. The CRS only concluded there was nothing in the bill to prevent it, but this portion of the health care reform bill won't take effect until 2014, leaving plenty of time to address it.

In any case the ad clearly implies that the Senator actively sought to give Viagra to these criminals. His vote wouldn't have done that so, on both context and fact this claim fails the test. It's FALSE.

"What else could you ever need to know about Harry Reid?"

As always that's your call.