A Little Presidential Time Out

It's been a while since the last look at the presidential election, and the timing is right to discuss my love affair with McCain's "The One" ad (that's it, above).

I love it for many reasons. I love it because it so completely mocks the sense of greatness Obama seems to carry with him. I love it because it is so blatant (and mean-spirited). I love it because it hammers at Obama's biggest weakness -- his lack of experience. I love it because Charlton Heston as Moses appears.

I love it more than this one, which is the one that gets most of the attention in the silly days of summer, although it's probably just as effective:



Finally, I love it because it is so pitch-perfect for this stage of the campaign. It's the summer, and this campaign has seemed to drag on forever. People don't want more issues right now. They want, for better or worse, to be entertained between innings of Red Sox games. What better than Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, and Moses?

These ads really a little slice of genius, I say. They make their political point, they're funny, and they're mocking and disrespectful, but not to the point of outrage. Brilliant.

While Obama should be killing -- his Middle East trip, his momentum, McCain's lack of momentum in the last month or so, his money advantage -- polls are stagnant. I'm not sure how much the ads have to do with that, although the ads do tap into the undercurrent question that I think is on people's minds. Is he ready to lead? Is he The One?

A lot is going to happen between now and November, and the race will get more boring after Labor Day, when everyone thinks voters will start really paying attention. But for now, I'm loving "The One" ads.