Once again, so what?

When it comes to politicians ad hominem makes a lot more sense,. because it's the person as such you are dealing with in a whole range of actions that affect you. Rather analogous to a marriage partner - it'd be daft to suggest that ad hominen wouldn't be appropriate in a dispute between husband and wife.

It's rather a different matter when what is in dispute are the views of an academic or a polemicist. In such a case personal actions are generally beside the point, and shouldn't be allowed to intrude into arguments about the ideas.