Obama Campaign Unannounced Ad Buy Pushes Back On 'Doing Fine' Attacks

WASHINGTON -- The Obama campaign has released a new ad in several battleground states that rebuts attacks against the president for his much-maligned statement that the private sector is "doing fine."

The spot begins by balancing the president's recognition that more needs to be done to help the economy recover with a positive message about his platform for the future. It ends with a definitive swipe against presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"Mitt Romney and his billionaire allies can spend millions to distort the president's words," the ad says. "But they are not interested in rebuilding the middle class, he is."

In the background is a graphic showing the president at the podium for that press conference where he spoke the phrase, with the words "doing fine" below.

The ad is a response spot to the attacks the president has come under for uttering that remark. The campaign did not blast it out to the national press, though a campaign official did confirm on background that it was airing in the following states: Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Florida.