McCain's two ads today will end the momentum he's built up over the past few days. They may do permanent damage and here is why - below the fold.
McCain's two ads today are like gifts that keep on giving.
Up to now McCain has been a political grandfather figure. Older, check. Wiser on foreign policy, check. Less complicated, check. Not foreign, check. Safe, check. Eye candy wife, check. And so on.
The first ad pairing Obama with Paris Hilton was brilliant because it was a racism dog whistle. It was based on the same tactic republicans used against Harold Ford Jr. Figure out a way to put a black politician in an ad with sexually available white chicks and let the dark side of American society have its way.
The two newer ads he's running today will undermine all of McCain's progress over the past week. He will now go from being the wise political grandfather figure to being a creepy political grandfather figure - you know, the guy who worries his family that the Alzheimer's may be kicking in early.
The two ads he is running today are based on wit and satire. Unfortunately they do not match his political personality. He is stolid, not satirical. He is solid, not pliable. He is predictable, not challenging.
When the press starts asking him about these ads, he won't be able to match their tone and wit. His public personna will collapse and the result won't be pretty.
Check out his afternoon news conference in Florida.