I suppose that's a start. Clearly the first in a series of golden oldies that most of the general electorate haven't yet heard. Reverend Wright will be doubtless comin home to roost. And most tellingly, the continuous looping of "they get bitter, so they cling to guns, and to religion, and to antipathy toward people who aren't like them."

That's the real Swiftboat moment (unlike the Establishment press, I intend Swiftboat as a compliment). Like the footage of Kerry selling out his 'band of brothers' before a Senate committee, it shows the man for what he is. Candid and revealing. Oh, don't worry about those blue collar hicks, we can handle them.

This blitz has been in the works for a while, and is probably well developed. One just hopes it hasn't been delayed too long. Otherwise, we'll be paying $8 gas, and who wants that?

Still, we're hanging around a six-point lead. I believe strongly that if it gets to within three in the polls, the election's a nail-biter. I'd be far more comfortable if it were below two. McCain should hold his own in the debate, due to the format being in his favor. But that's not quite enough.

These little reminders of who Obama really is should help.

Oh my God people care about the issues, attack and smear attack and smear.

The GOP must attack and smear. They can't win on honest discussion about issues, they have bankrupted the USA after all, attack and smear attack and smear.

Really Urq, you guys should be ashamed of yourselves.

Not sure how any of these things are smears. Truth is a smear? Only when it's your guy, I suppose.

Ordinarily, a campaign wouldn't have to bring this stuff up. The press would be doing its job. They seem to believe, however, that their job is to fellate the Messiah.

We in Ohio had those Ayers ads the minute Obama clinched the nomination.

You know, back when it mattered.

I'm surprised that you all seem to have just found out.

We get the debate tomorrow, but Tennessee's safely red. Voted for Bubba twice. And Carter. But still.

Talking to a lot of people from various locales this weekend, they wondered when this stuff was going to be hit hard. I guess Ohio gets it early and often.

Still, I think this is just a warm-up act for the more effective Wright and the Bitter Clingers.

truth cries in the streets....

Ayers was political his whole life... but the guy who won Illinois person of the year in 1999 is attacked for being part of the weather underground in the mid 60's and you feel that everyone who worked on the Annenberg project in 1999 deserves to be smeared with the weather underground of the 1960's?

that's truth?

that's just stupid.

We have casino gambling on our ballot. That's what will get our social conservatives out to the polls. Issue 6 ads are keeping pace with, or exceeding, presidential election ads.

The small part of the population that would be affected by this Ayers stuff already saw it or didn't need really to see it.

Are they anything like the Nobel Committee? If so, did Arafat win one?

Annenberg has been smeared too often by this association. He has the excuse of being dead at the time this stuff went down. The Annenberg Challenge, while spectacularly expensive and notably unsuccessful (could've used more community organizers), was not the extent of Obama's dealings with Ayres.

Ah yes - Gainesville, FL - about 60 miles from The Villages.

And nearly next door to Lee County where they refer to Obama by either his middle name or call him Osama.

Yep. Buncha regular Joe-Six-Packs we got here in the land of the cracker!! You Betcha!! You're sure gonna get some diffrn't pointsaview from these guys, yeah!!

The thing is, if this economy weren't tanking and the people in this country didn't have serious issues that need discussing and solving it might be interesting to have debates about Freedom of Speech (Wright) and The Judicial System (Ayers).

Here are two private citizens who have stretched our constitutionality to some pretty interesting limits.

But, since NEITHER of them is running for office, and their voices have NOTHING to do with anyone who IS running for office they are irrelevant to this campaign.

If you really want to talk about Obama's character, then you should talk about decisions HE makes, things HE says, his opinions and feelings that HE puts on paper.

How about the fact that he has been married for 16 years, and has two children and has a happy and supportive partnership? That actually DOES say a lot about a person's character.

This is silly because your mind is made up, and so is mine. You can keep top posting and pretending to be ever so clever ... but the bottom line is .... John McCain has taken the lowest road, and will lose because of it.

Oh, and because of the economy.

Some embattled blue-state Republicans. 'All I ever hear are idiots in love with Obama!' they lament. Like reading you people.

Nothing to do with anyone running for office? Hmm. I coulda sworn. There was this one guy running for something. Got a funny name. Oh, hell. Tip of my tongue. Hate it when that happens. I'll remember it a couple of hours from now. Still, HE seems to have made some pretty outlandish decisions. Whoever he is.

Pretending to be clever? Ahem. We both know better. You're just mad. You're not beautiful when you're angry. Unflattering, complexion-wise.

how many posts do we have to endure about this "problem" you all seem to have. It's like Chinese water torture.

We all know that you think that Obama is planning to blow up the world...starting with America...he is planning to run it into the ground and finish what GW has started...

Can someone get a little more original here? I've never said this before in my severn years here...but I thought this was called "The Best of the Fray"!

Between Jack top posting every little piece of crap he can find on YouTube and every other post being about Obama and his "palin' around with terrorists"...hey wait...maybe it's Palin who is doin' the palin'....

Hey, look over there! Pay no attention to the failing campaign of McCain...it's time to throw some shit up into the air...it's been ten minutes since the last shit storm.

Yawn.

As the towers crumbled.

They quoted a guy who has read both Obama autobiographies? Setting aside for the moment the question of how anyone who has written two autobiographies can be taken seriously:

Have you ever read a single campaign autobiography? That's just a red flag.

Because what I usually try to do here is shift the electorate. Hmm. On to plan B.

unexamined background is the equalizer for the kick in the nuts that McCain has taken on the issue of the economy. On the other hand now that the 'bail out' bill has been passed the republicans are being very firm regarding Barney Frank's and the Democratic Party's hand in encouraging the economy to go into the dumper in the first place and so that, too, should help.

McCain has four weeks to return to a neck and neck position with Obama and he stands a good chance of doing so. I recall when John Kerry's lead guaranteed him the White House win. We know how that turned out for the democrats.

After a solid month of ads and Fox News and countless talk radio outlets pounding voters on this issue of Obama's background and the co-culpability of the democrats in regards to the economy McCain should return to a position of campaign equality with Obama.

Should, however, does not equate to a given, and so we shall have to wait and see.