Ok. I never watched McCain's ad before today. I wasn't really all that interested. Neither Britney Spears nor Paris Hilton floats my boat, so I figured it was a no brainer that it would be a no brainer.

However, I finally watched it because of all the controversy. I have a few impressions:

First, I see no racism in it. I see a juvenile attempt to disparage someone's popularity, and contrary to what others may say about it, I think popularity is not a bad thing to cultivate when you're running for office, and I also think that charisma is one of those intangible elements that can help to empower a nation toward better things. To me, the ad, on that basis, was childish.

I want to offer the caveat that just having charisma, which Obama has, does not guarantee that he will accomplish what he says he will. He has already confused some of his most ardent progressive supporters with some of his decisions. He has been accused - I think falsely, but with enough basis to be considered - of doing something contrary to what he had previously promised. The arguments pro and con on that have run their course, and people have decided which side they stand on, so there's no point in rehashing it.

What did strike me was the imagery and sound effects of the huge crowds cheering in Germany. For me, far more striking than Spears and Hilton was the allusion to Hitler, though it might only reach older watchers, so perhaps to many it's a non-issue. To me, it was a thinly veiled message, to wit: <i>Not only is his popularity a flash in the pan, pop culture phenomenon empty of substance, but his very charisma is dangerous.</i>

Simply put, I  read that to say not that he is inexperienced, but that he is dangerous. I don't care for that, as there's no evidence or truth to support it, and it does happen to dovetail with various false messages and associations against Obama that have been repeated endlessly by pundits and slanderers of all kinds.

So, there are many messages crafted into this, ranging from superficiality to danger.

The substance of it - that in a time of high gas prices Obama opposes offshore drilling and that he will raise taxes - are patently simplistic and ultimately false without any qualifications, and therefore, they are the usual empty scare tactics that are part and parcel of political campaigns. For those who don't wish to look any further, they may come to believe that these are very telling charges. For others, who pay attention to facts, they are baseless.

I will give the McCain people who made the ad kudos for showing a pretty nice, friendly picture of Obama at the end,  before the very noble profile of McCain. They could have picked a much more unflattering image, but they didn't.

Now, on to the controversy over race. Obama responded, as he often does, with his <i>schpiel</i> about his name and other things people say about him that he takes lightly. His "not like the faces on the dollar bill" comment has been interpreted as a charge of racism against McCain directly related to this ad.

I think it was simply Obama's usual response to attacks of this kind - of which nobody can deny there have been many - and not intended to suggest that this ad in particular was racist. I could be wrong, but when I heard it, I thought to myself, "That's what he always says. It's almost a signature line."

So the controversy erupts. The McCain camp, in true Rovian fashion, becomes instantly outraged. Their own negative tactics, such as preparing to run negative adds whether Obama visited the troops in Germany or did not visit them, is not mentioned, but a casual, and oft-repeated comment by Obama suddenly becomes the most horrible attack on poor innocent, honorable John McCain, and at last an excuse to start using race as an issue. I think they were just waiting for a chance to do so.

And this reminds me of what they did to Gen. Wesley Clark, whose whole statement that being shot down doesn't qualify someone to be president was taken entirely out of context and made into a huge attack on McCain, which it wasn't. It was a true statement taken out of context, and Clark was right in what he said, which was prefaced with his great respect for McCain, even saying how McCain had been one of his heroes during the Vietnam days. How dishonorable is it to attack a fellow military man who was simply stating an obvious truth?

So, this is another tempest in a teapot orchestrated by the Rovian prinicple of always attacking and always making everything the other guy says into a major issue. It's blatant, and the enormous quantity of outrage these people can muster up at a moment's notice is truly impressive. It's phony as hell, but it's impressive.

So, the ad does nothing for me, but the controversy that follows it does disgust me. It's anything but honorable and decent. It's deceit at its most base, and I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more of it.

And for the many long-time and recent Obama haters who are part of TPM, I'm not arguing here whether Obama is the best candidate or whether fame means he's going to be the best president. I'm just stating some opinions about what the fuss is all about - today.