On ads and messaging at the Obama/Biden campaign

First, Nate Silver is absolutely right. The Obama campaign needs better ads. I've been saying that for a couple months now, and things haven't improved. The D.C. market, where I live, is getting the ads because of Northern Virginia - so I've seen them. I have yet to see one memorable Obama ad -- they're the typical, generic political ads we've come to expect from Democratic media firms like GMMB. Those media types get paid a lot of money (win or lose), so you'd think that they'd come up with something original for the most interesting and charismatic candidate we've seen in decades. We've lost the last two elections following the conventional wisdom of ad agencies like this. Infuse the campaign with some original, creative thinking, please.

Also, I have a hard time understanding why "John McCain is one of my best friends" was Joe Biden's message over the weekend. Do the Democrats really think they can win by being nice guys? They can't. John McCain's campaign has been taken over by Karl Rove and his crew. Just wait to see what else they'll unleash on Obama and Biden (we've already had a taste of it). Republican Senators loathe McCain and think he's scary. Yet our v.p. nominee sings his praises and tells funny anecdotes about what a fun swell guy he is. Can Patty Solis Doyle please get her candidate on message? Is that too much to ask? We need a lot more of this from Joe Biden.