Today's polling indicated a slight upward trend for Senator Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, with most numbers tacking above the margin for error. Still, there might be something to the rumors that tomorrow's primary is expected to be a tight contest, and the clearest sign that the Clinton campaign is taking that seriously is that they've released a new thirty-second ad called "Kitchen," which "detail[s] how tough the job of President is...asking voters who they think is ready to step in and handle it." And, hey! Look who makes a cameo appearance! None other than stock footage of Osama bin Laden, presumably on loan from the defunct Giuliani campaign.
And now, for the rebuttal, please welcome President William Jefferson Clinton:
UPDATE: And in a rebuttal to the rebuttal, we have campaign newbie, Geoff Garin, who says: "It states the reason why Hillary Clinton is the right choice to be president now...the premise of this ad and this campaign is that we're at a moment where we need a president who's got the strength and the knowledge to take on very tough challenges...To say that she is the best choice on those things, there's nothing negative about that."
Indeed, the most "positive" thing about the ad may be its efficacy. As Talking Points Memo notes, "Dropping a last-minute bomb in order to sow doubts about Obama among the late-breaking undecideds -- and doing it in the guise of an ad only mentioning Hillary -- worked in Ohio and Texas. Camp Hillary is hoping that the tactic will deliver a second time."
MORE UPDATES: And, so, this little spat escalaltes to "Defcon: OMFG!" From Obama spokesman Bill Burton:
When Senator Clinton voted with President Bush to authorize the war in Iraq, she made a tragically bad decision that diverted our military from the terrorists who attacked us, and allowed Osama bin Laden to escape and regenerate his terrorist network. It's ironic that she would borrow the President's tactics in her own campaign and invoke bin Laden to score political points. We already have a President who plays the politics of fear, and we don't need another.
So, uhm...Hillary Clinton is to blame for Osama bin Laden being at large? Really? That's what you're gonna go with, Burton? Can't wait for this primary contest to end in that bring-the-party-together "Dream" ticket!
UPDATES GALORE: The Obama campaign has produced an ad in response to today's Clinton ad. Man, when this primary is over, just think about how "bitter" all the out-of-work political ad people are going to be!