Miraculously, John McCain approved this message, sent out before the debate ended:

Plenty of bloggers have pointed out why this ad misfires and contradicts the bipartisan message. I agree. This spot, perhaps more than any other yet, makes its own best case on the nature of McCain’s sewage-slinging campaign, and the ultimate fate of its incoherence.  

Obviously, attacking your opponent for occasionally agreeing with you looks petty and vindictive. This ad appeals to the most cynical, and illogical, platforms of political perception: that honesty and nuance equate to weakness.

Politically, it only hammers the contrast of civility from the two candidates Friday night – the contrast that I believe most defined the public’s reaction. This strategy will not work.

The GOP is operating on the idea that this election will be determined by stupid people (in fairness, a lot of liberals felt similarly on Nov 3, 2004). Call me naive, but I don’t buy it. Yes, most undecideds are probably uninformed. But how many relatively smart and reliable friends do you have that don’t follow politics? Most of these people are not stupid, they just have other things to focus on. I believe an ad like this, and McCain’s flimsy message in general, will not convert them.  They are assertions, not clear arguments (even the Rove’s lies were usually at least such). And every time Obama proves he is “Ready to Lead,” as he did Friday, these assertions are debunked and forgotten.