I’m probably just missing some important tactical angle here, or maybe the Obama people have a really terrifying poll that forced them to do this, but I have to say at first glance this new Obama ad responding to the charges regarding his relationship with Bill Ayers strikes me as an unbelievably stupid move. The charges couldn’t be well known enough by the public to merit or require this, and the ad is bound to raise more questions than it answers. The vague mention of the charges, the weak reference to having denounced them, the defensive tone, the picture of Obama as a child, simply everything about it seems misguided and counterproductive.

According to AP, this isn’t just a web ad, it’s going to air. The Obama team has been pretty smart and savvy to this point, so they may well have a strong reason to do this, but it would have to be really strong.