"First of all, you can't argue against negative campaigning in a negative ad."

Sure you can. They just did.
The question is whether they can run an EFFECTIVE negative ad decrying negative ads.

And the answer is "not with that ad".
So Romney has his friends talking about how mean Obama is being to Romney.
Yeah, that's what Romney's friends are going to say anyway.

Meanwhile, Obama's friends are pulling up facts from 2000 about Romney.

The Romney team completely lost the message on that ad.

People should vote against Obama because Obama is mean and will not apologize!

Great message there. That'll get the vote out.

LOL!!! The GOP are nothing but a bunch of bawl babies. They don't want their feelings hurt with facts.

Mittens should just curl up in his magic underroos and dream of his world he'll get when he dies from his imaginary sky spook.

"Hope and Change" changed and adapted the instant the Supreme Court handed down "Citizens United," and Team Obama is being incredibly smart to hit Romney hard and often with the truth. In my opinion, the harder, the longer, the better.

How can they claim Obama turned this nation socialist on the one hand, and on the other say that he didn't change anything?

The beautiful thing about this campaign, to my hopeful heart, is that I've long considered Romney to be the best candidate that the republicans could put up against Obama; he was the one I feared getting the nomination.

That he's turned out to be so incredibly weak is both surprising and delightful. That the Obama campaign is being so adept at focusing attention on that weakness and lack of likeability is most gratifying.

Nobody likes Willard and he doesn't have a clue as to what to do about it. I love it.

Best candidate EVER.

While steam blows out of both Obama's ears, the S.S. Romney deftly sails to the victory line!!

@9, you and Charles should do a stand up routine together; it could be brilliantly funny!

Romney can really seal the deal by using the embarrassing video of Obama singing Al Green.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6uHR90Sq…

I don't know why any politician in this day and age would try to base any of his campaign on his opponents use of negative ads. Even when you're running a clean campaign (which Romney is not) you come across as a whining weakling. Maybe if your opponents negative attacks didn't find the mark you can play aloof and get some kind of image boost, but this tax return thing has found at least some kind of foothold. When is Romney going to take more direct action on quelling this thing?

Guess the newsmen use in the ad aren't happy about it
http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-habe…

Why not go after Obama on fast and furious? Because that would actually threaten the real power structure that controls both parties.

@14 - Oooh, Rmoney totes should do that. Maybe he could explain how vaccines are destroying our way of life too.

@14

They already have. The best they could do was vote to hold the USAG in contempt.

@13

It would be amusing if the newspeople demanded an apology from Romney.

Hello, Clarice...I approved this message.

My favorite part is repeating "whatever happened to hope and change?" As if Rmoney offers either.

I, for one, cannot wait for Jan. 20, 2013, when Romney is sworn in and demands an apology from Al Qaida.

what does bob scheiffer think hope and change was supposed to mean? roll over and beg the GOP for mercy?

@20: In the Republican's deluded little skulls, yes.

Romney's on tilt. I'm glad it was this easy. It means Obama and his PACs will get a lot more bang for the buck versus Ronney; leverage they need, given the relative funding levels.

Romney can't even speak for himself? His campaign has to edit together newscasters to speak for him? How bizarre.
And (um, duh) hope and change was for when Obama was an unknown newcomer. Now he's incumbent, he can run on his record as a pragmatist who gets shit done despite the opposition party's whiny obstructionism.

This ad doesn't speak to any issues at hand even a little bit, but it's a beautiful (and unflattering) reflection on Romney. If his whole campaign is this good, this fall is going to be a lot more entertaining and a lot less nerve-wracking than I'd planned for.