LONGECITY

This isn't the worst political ad of all time but it will rank up there. The Michael Dukakis 1988 ads - which to this day no one can understand - are still the benchmark for awful. What makes the latest John McCain ad so terrible? In his latest ad he uses a speech from Obama in which he is praising McCain for his work in the Senate. The goal of the ad is to show voters that even Obama likes and respects McCain's work and that McCain should be President. But, what voters take away from the ad is an entirely different perspective. They see Obama as someone who can reach across the aisle and work across party lines to get things done - exactly the image they want conveyed on McCain.

One conservative bloggers wrote of the ad, "Fabulous. At a time when John McCain needs to show Obama as unready and outside the mainstream — easily done on issues like abortion and the economy — he's spending money showing how reasonable Obama can be. I understand McCain wants to make the sale with centrists and independents, but this only makes Obama more palatable to the middle. I'm guessing that they feel this shows Obama as a follower rather than a leader, but what it shows is that Obama can reach across the aisle — exactly opposite of what McCain has argued."

Obama bounced on the ad during a speech in Iowa, telling supporters, "As if there's something wrong with acknowledging when an opponent has said or done something that makes sense," Obama said. "I think we need more of that attitude in Washington…We need more civility in Washington."

What makes this ad so bad for McCain is that he needs to showcase his own independence, his own courage in office and not that of his opponent. With 3 days left and trailing in the polls and low on funds, this kind of ad is a completed waste. When you are trying to craft an image for yourself as an independent thinker who can work with Democrats and Republicans and then you create an ad that says your opponent does exactly that - then what's the rationale for voters electing you? For this reason, this ad makes the list for worst ad ever, and certainly is the worst ad of the 2008 presidential cycle.