If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the new Obama ad targeting McCain as a celebrity suggests McCain's Paris/Britney line of attack may have been seen within the Obama camp as successful. That and the day's other political news in the TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.

Late Update: A longtime reader disagrees that the new Obama ad is a response to McCain's Paris/Britney ad:

Nope. It means that they know that they can get the national press corps (especially the campaign press corps) to write about "McCain = corrupt establishment, not really a maverick" as long as they throw in the word "celebrity" so it looks like a response to McCain's ad.

Which it is not.

As has already been pointed out by far worthier observers than I, making the election about Obama is the only way Obama loses. If it's about Bush? Obama wins. If it's Obama vs McCain? Obama wins. If it's about some more vague "are you better off than you were four years ago?" Obama wins. Ah, but what if it's a referendum about Obama? Can Team McCain/GOP build enough doubts and worries about Obama? You bet. I think that's where all of those McCain ads want to go.