At this point, both camps are running shameful ads. It is too bad Obama chose to go this routw. He could have kept the moral high ground considering all the vile ads Mac has been running.

all of these ads are really insulting to voters... they make it seem as if we'll just believe anything. we've all seen enough TV by now to know that everything they say in commercials about a "product" isn't necessarily true. i'm almost thankful at this point to be living in california where i rarely see campaign commercials on TV. this is just embarrassing for both of them!!

I think it is sad that both camps are resorting to these types of tactics. I hope the first debate next week has a little more substance than this "high school election" mentality that we have going on now.

I wish Obama hadn't gone there, but it is hard for me to feel too bad about it when McCain has run 10x the number of ads that are low blows.

McCain blaming Obama for the collapse of immigration reform is pretty outrageous as well.

Sigh.

Politics as usual. So much for "change".

I'm so happy they've both decided to go down this path.

LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMBLE!!!!

Dirty politics as usual.

Thank you for posting this citizen!

Jill, that makes no sense.

I was talking about this ad with some friends. We were really spilt. Some feel Obama doesn't have to go this route. Others feel he has to get hands dirty because of the large number of false ads on tv about him and his record. I feel that McCain gives Obama enough ammunition that stretching the truth is not neccesary. We all agreed that McCain's false ads make this look like child's play.

He did it first and more so it is worse. Apologists can make anything ok.

Now both of their false ads do.

GS why doesn't it make sense?

It is playground logic. And in grown-up terms it is: Do as I say, not as I do.

this ad is a load of poo!
grrrrrrr

I am very, very disapointed the Obama campaign went this way. I seriously have an urge to not vote in protest because I'm starting to feel like the reasons I really liked Obama are slowly slipping away. Of course that wouldn't do much good...just frustrated!

MMandy, I understand. I felt that way in the last election. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. You know?

Yay for lesser of two evils voting! Democracy rocks!

Sigh, it could be worse though...

The truth of the matter is that negative ads work.

Playground logic, exactly! When I worked with kids, it was always she did this, he did that, and part of my job was to teach them that they are responsible for their own choices.

Exactly Vespa, that was my point! Thanks!

The scary thing is there are people who don't bother to get to know a candidate outside of the TV ads and the media portrayal of them.

I'm now imagining Obama and McCain in the sandbox, pointing fingers, "He said I'm out of touch!"

"He made fun of my economic plan!"

Yeah if there is no link between McCain and Limbough on those regards than this is ad-ragious. Campaigning IMO is so corrupt and I am just sick and tired of it on both sides. They make me want to break something.

"What do you think of the ads — does saying something in Spanish allow freer liberties with the truth, or is this idea completely lost in translation?"

I reject the premise. You're not allowed to tell lies if you do it in Spanish, AND I think the ad is not a good one.

This is sad and disappointing, and I don't like the whole "you can lie if it's in Spanish" premise, either. Why would saying something in Spanish allow lies to be told? That sounds like saying that Spanish speakers aren't as informed as English speakers. Not good.

Amen!

Amen!

Sugar is acting up on me today!

Gs, it's a left wing conspiracy!

I'm not a conspiracy type of girl!

What on earth does Limbuagh's quote have to do with McCain? This is a ridiculous ad, and I'm glad everybody can agree.

However, I do have to wonder why Obama chose to do his most outrageous ad in Spanish. It does suggest he thinks Spanish-speaking voters will be more accepting of that.

GS you can't always blame it on Sugar

of course the obama supporters (some of them) are basically saying "He HAD to do this, because McCain did it first" and "mccains ads are worse"

Listen all negative ads are bad news, and none of us like them, both candidates are equally as responsible and their ads are equally ridiculous.

Its just like I tell my niece , "just because the other kid did it , doesnt mean you have too" and "if you dont have anything nice to say dont say it at all"

Okay, do ALL of you speak Spanish? Because I have no idea what was said in the ad and so I have no idea if he's lying!

I trust Ruben Navarette's translation (I first read about this on CNN.com).

That ad is tasteless. I will fully admit when my candidate does something wrong. There are others that aren't so forthright. Just look at the McCain in Spain thread.

Oh come on, HF, it's a matter of opinion.

How is is opinion?

There are a couple of options.
A. He forgot where Spain was
B. He forgot what country Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero was from
C. He is taking a "firm stance toward Spain" which doesn't make any sense.

Just admit he made a mistake. Why is that so hard?

Well I admit he made mistakes all the time. I think a great deal of his political ideas are 'mistakes'. However, I think his position on the war (and the fact his adviser pointed out about Spain pulling out troops) makes a firm (or undecided) stance on Spain not so strange for him.

This ad was ridiculous! But I don't have a problem that it was in Spanish, since it was aimed at Mexicans. I don't want Obama to take the low road. I know it must suck to always feel on the defensive, but it makes him a better person.

I actually DO know several Republicans who think Mexicans Americans are dirty and stupid, and my grandparents love Rush Limbaugh ("he's an entertainer, not a journalist!") but I have never heard McCain explicitly involved in that. Sure, it's good for these immigrants to know how many in the GOP feel about them, but this was so out of line.

Snowbunny that is a ridiculous statement saying, "know how many in the GOP feel about them." Uniformed and ridiculous. The people you know in your circle of friends don't represent a whole.

The supposed "quotes" from Rush Limbaugh were completely taken out of context. The "shut your mouth and get out" was actually in reference to the Mexican immigration laws and how they view immigrants. Basically, if you immigrate to Mexico, you're not allowed to protest or say anything negative about the government. That's what that one was about.

The other "stupid and unqualified" one was saying that the Mexican immigrants aren't taking jobs away from Americans and that basically he doesn't care if "stupid and unqualified" Mexicans take jobs away from "stupid and unqalified" Americans. While it wasn't a very eloquent comment, it wasn't racist in the least.

It's disappointing that the Democrats took these comments so completely out of context and then linked Limbaugh to McCain when they completely disagree about immigration in the first place! This is playing dirty if you ask me.

Exactly Cat.

But cat, why would we worry about the alighty's party plays dirty politics? Everything should be ok, as long as it doesn't say anything bad about Obama...