damnit barack!! where's the fire in your belly?

ugh...just say it's "pathetic." that's all you need to say!

Hearing Obama himself laugh off the ad as childish or babyish would help ensure that McCain just keeps on shrinkin'...

Or give them yet another reason to call Obama 'uppity' for laughing at (good ole boy) senator Sprinkles

I understand why he responds like that, but he needs to get tougher. This people won't stop at nothing to crush him.

Give him a day or so. This will be worked into this stump more seamlessly.

Obama is correct; the press needs to start pinning down McCain on what he stands for. McCain has flip flopped all over the place, for all intents and purposes he is a strawman candidate. McCain's seems to be running on a series of false arguements, you need look no further then his recent ads to figure that out.

Maybe he could have said, I had no idea John McCain knew who Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were. I thought Betty Grable and Ava Gardner were more his speed.

The Obama campaign: on the defense, AGAIN. Knock it off and go after McCain.

Just WTF are they holding back for? If this is how they're going to respond from now until November, that sucks. But it would be consistent: the Obama campaign allowed Clinton to dictate the media narrative as well. Maybe because they were pretty secure in knowing who would get the nomination, but still. To see the same sort of tactics now is disappointing.

I guess I hope that they're just holding fire, waiting for the right moment.

"You know, I don't pay attention to John McCain's ads, although I do notice he doesn't seem to have anything to say very positive about himself. He seems to only be talking about me... You need to ask John McCain what he's for and not just what he's against."

And this is the proverbial gun you bring to a knife fight? McCain must be crapping in his Depends.

For some reason, these politicians are adverse to flat out calling a liar a liar. I never understood that.

Obama gains nothing in addressing the substance of the ads, not even to dismiss them. However, he manages to get under McCain's skin by pointing out the obvious. The trick is for the media to repeat it or for McCain to respond with anger, which would be sublime. Obama is slapping back, not at the ads, but at McCain himself and on his campaign being based entirely on Obama, not on McCain's merits.

Obama's message this week is about he economy. If the Obama campaign responded to every McCain ad that they put out, then thety will never get their economic message out there.

Aren't some of you guys the same people who said Obama needs to be hitting home his economic message more. Well that is what Obama is trying to do. While McCain is having to respond to the response to his own ads, the campaign can never talk about get it's message out.

If Obama stops to respond to every McCain ad, then doesn't he become McCain. That is how Obama truly beat Clinton early on, because the Obama campaign was good at staying on message. It was once the campaign go off message (neg ads, PA, Rev Wright) that time became dicey.

You guys need to stop with the hand-wringing. Obama gave a smart initial response, and I'm sure we'll be seeing more on this line of attack in the coming days.

Lot of Arm-Chair Candidates today....

I'll take the minority position here- Obama's response was pitch-perfect. it was curtly dismissive, and it neatly made the essential point that McSame has nothing positive to offer.

Behaving in as juvenile a fashion as McSame would be a mistake. Don't mud-wrestle with pigs- you only get dirty and the pig enjoys it. "I do notice he doesn't seem to have anything to say very positive about himself" hits just the right note.

This kind of attack coming directly from the McSame campaign, I would also think, is likely to be significantly less effective with the targeted swing voters than a true "swiftboat" attack by a seemingly "independent" surrogate. Voters tend to discount campaign rhetoric as just the kind of thing politicians say, but as in 2004 the dumber ones can be fooled into thinking that reasonably clever surrogates really offer independent, credible information.

I'm sorry but people are stupid and they are going to eat these ads up.

McCain's record is horrible, televising it can only be a good thing for Obama- so let's get on it!!

McCains people really hit the nail on the head. Obama really does come off as a egomaniac smooth talking empty suit cult leader. The Superdelagates still have time to dump him and go with Hillary.

OK...false start

remember everyone, obama needs to maintain a certain jackie robinson coolness and high-mindedness. the last thing he needs is an 'angry black man' thing starting up among the chattering class.

i actually think the best response for something like this is something that throws the angry curmudgeon thing onto mccain while pointing out his hypocrisy and hopelessness

how's this for a try...
"john mccain is becoming more and more angry. what i find it puzzling the reason he is so angry isn't the because his party and presidnet have driven this country into a ditch but the fact that i'm offering americans the opportuntiy to work together to get out of it."

There really is a lot of hand-wringing over this. I think these ads by McCain are clearly childish and pathetic and McCain's response was perfect. There is no need for him to sink to McCain's level. That's exactly what McCain wants so he can hammer him over his "new politics" hypocrisy.

If Obama wants to take the high road, that's fine, as long as he has a surrogate or two that will bring a gun to the fight. As Greg said, "pathetic" has a nice ring to it.

Gore, Kerry and now Obama are all adults, and act as such but the game is played at the high school, and even middle school level, as Karl Rove knows well.

Obama needs someone who is smart and funny who can lob barbs, al la Ann Richards.

Not only does the ad suck but only an out of touch old man wouldn't realize that Brittney is so NOT popular!! No one goes to see her, she doesn't perform concerts any more!! Just ask any young person! And the ad is idiotic and nonsensical. It might preach to the choir but even an ordinary moron would be able to see through it.

Via the Daily Dish

McCain's new anti-Obama ad has pushed former McCain strategist John Weaver over the edge:

"John's been a celebrity ever since he was shot down," Weaver said. "Whatever that means. And I recall Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush going overseas and all those waving American flags...For McCain to win in such troubled times, he needs to begin telling the American people how he intends to lead us. That McCain exists. He can inspire the country to greatness...There is legitimate mockery of a political campaign now, and it isn't at Obama's. For McCain's sake, this tomfoolery needs to stop."

O I think this kills sufficiently.

They may have tested this ad, but I'd sure like to see that test group, cause I have a mental picture...

This is so damn junior high.

New CNN poll: 40 % of respondents think John McCain attacked unfairly; only 22% think Barack Obama attacked unfairly. I suspect this dynamic will continue and worsen for McCain.

37 % think Barack Obama is arrogant; 34 % think McCain is arrogant. A majority (60% I think) thought Obama's trip abroad was appropriate. It didn't change perceptions however. McCain cleans up on foreign affairs issues; Obama on domestic issues.

Overall: Obama 51 McCain 44

Attacked unfairly, or attacks unfairly.

Let's see if the Obama campaign can hit back.

Obama should just look sad for a sec, the next time he's asked about it and other attack ads, and then say, with complete sincerity and truthfulness: "John McCain needs to get a political life of his own. He can't win an election by simply attacking me constantly. He has to stand up for something and let people know what he is for and let the voters decide on real issues, not name-calling."

Anything over aggressive will play into McCains "Angry black man" rhetoric.

You guys need to understand, that Barack, as many other black men that have gotten anywhere in their life, realize that they do not need to say the first fire-roasting thought that appears out of their brains when someone is talking about them. Good or bad.
I for one just want Obama to keep doing what he is doing.

And this isnt 2004 again. Kerry had nothing to him compared to Obama.

I believe/hope this election will be won on the ground. Not with stupid advertisements that everyone from the MSM and Blogosphere seems to get trapped in to writing about.