Here’s McCain’s latest commercial, complete with narration from a vulnerable-sounding woman whose family, we are to assume from her ragged tone of desperation, will lose the only hope keeping Dad from the grave if Barack Obama, drunk with celebrity, repeals Bush’s tax cuts, sucking the life blood out of Americans who earn but $42,000 a year, as is his alleged intention. ("FactCheck.org has already debunked this claim," the New York Times writes. "[...B]ut the McCain campaign keeps repeating this.")

I wonder whether the narrator has feelings one way or another on the subject. You know, a while ago, for a documentary on the conservative cult leader Rev. Moon, I hired a distinguished-sounding older gentleman to read approving messages from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that (the cult believes) were channeled from Heaven to the owner of the Washington Times.

When I explained the mentally ill nature of the role to him, which I had pitched as "involving American politicians," it was with some trepidation. To my surprise, however, he was relieved. He was glad it wasn’t another casting call for a campaign ad.

[FactCheck.org]