Here It Comes

The McCain campaign has screwed things up so thoroughly that they feel their only recourse is character assassination. The Washington Post reports,

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.

With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.

Prepare yourselves. We are about to get 31 days of non-stop Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayres, and Tony Rezko. Talking Points Memo reports that 100% of McCain's media buys are now attack ads.

Obama is running attack ads, too, but they are issue-oriented (Social Security, health care, and the economy). Videos of both campaign's ads are available at the TPM link.