The ad points up another difficulty, too. I have yet to see an attack ad where the voice-over didn’t grate somehow. Picking the voice and tone for voice-overs is a black art, as an old colleague used to say (about everything), and this one, like so many, didn’t come off. The woman was clearly told, and trying, to be even-voiced and neutral, yet still sounded hectoring and, at the end, viciously smug.

Don’t know what one would do about that, except maybe not bother with attack ads in the first place.

And yeah, the RNC ought to run this LOTS.

Sheesh, wingnuts. You’ve had a year and a half to ask him these questions. You chose to spend the time asking about lapel pins.

Actually, the final sequence after he says “Yes we can” does make him look a bit heavy-browed and creepy.

But it’s still an ad that looks more likely to cement the opinions of those who already won’t vote for Obama no matter what rather than one likely to more anyone else away from him.

1. There must be no bad or embarrassing pictures of Obama. I mean really, he looks really good in every single on of the images they’re using there.

2. They’re using Obama’s own inspiring speech and for people that just kind of half listen to commercials this is going to come off as a pro-Obama commercial! It’ll just drive recognition.

3. None of these questions are deal breakers and most people will just compare them to the current commander in chief and say “Well, we’re in more debt now and our current president seems much less qualified than Obama.”

I think the RNC should put their entire campaign funds into this ad. Play it all the time! Hell, I’d even donate a little to get this ad on the air!