Although the Edwards campaign on its blog identified the vandals as Republicans, a commenter on the blog claimed responsibility in the name of a Second Life griefing group called "Patriotic Nigras." The group claimed to have simply done it for laughs--or, in their own words, "lulz."

"Guess what: we're not Republicans. In fact, I'm one of the most hard-core liberals I know," a pseudonymous commenter wrote on the Edwards blog. The commenter's affiliation with Patriotic Nigras was discovered through his pseudonym, "Mudkips Acronym," by the webzine 10 Zen Monkeys.

The Edwards campaign said that an abuse report against the perpetrators had been filed with Linden Lab, Second Life's developer. Linden Lab released a statement, saying that incidents of vandalism are judged on a case-by-base basis, with an eye to preserving freedom of expression.

"The world of Second Life is host to a wide variety of groups, with equally wide ranging opinions and perspectives. At Linden Lab we do the utmost to ensure the protection of creative expression, within certain bounds," the statement read. "Ultimately, instances in which residents engage in vandalism will have to be taken on a case by case basis according to our terms of service."

The vandalism of the Edwards campaign HQ isn't the first high-profile attack Second Life has seen. In December, when CNET interviewed controversial Second Life businesswoman Anshe Chung, a virtual real estate dealer who has been described as Second Life's first millionaire, the theater was attacked by griefers who bombarded Chung with flying, animated phalluses.

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