The Obama campaign has launched a new site called McCain's Low Road Express to debunk ads and statements by the McCain campaign. The name comes from a New York Times editorial published yesterday that was critical of recent campaign tactics by McCain. Highlighted on the site now are newspaper editorials and videos that were critical of McCain's latest "Celeb" ad.

On an afternoon conference call announcing the site's launch, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the site would be updated regularly and hopes the public and media use it often. "Unfortunately we think that the tenor of his campaign is unlikely to change," Plouffe said about the negative ads McCain has run. "People ought to just buckle up their seatbelts, because we think this is what their campaign is going to be all about."

Also on the call was Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of the former president, who is a Republican unhappy with the tone of McCain's campaign. "I don't think it befits the campaign to have anyone's patriotism called into question, or anyone's credentials," Eisenhower said, "because we have two well-qualified people running for President of the United States."

Plouffe said ads like "Celeb" are "frivolous and demeans the dialogue of the campaign."

RACINE, WI - A young woman just asked Senator McCain if he'd gone back on his promise not to "sling mud" in this campaign with the ad his campaign released yesterday comparing Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. McCain responded that there are contrasts to be drawn and his campaign is merely drawing them based on substance, not style.

"Campaigns are tough, but I'm proud of the campaign we're running," McCain told the crowd. "We're proud of that commercial."

UPDATE: Here's the full quote, transcribed from tape:

First of all, let me say that there are differences, and we drawing those differences. I said earlier that I admire his campaign, but what we're talking about here is substance and not style. Campaigns are tough, but I'm proud of the campaign that we have run, I'm proud of the issues we are trying to address with the American people. And, again, I would hope that Senator Obama would join me so that we could discuss this - as he said he wanted a "duel" over taxes, as I think he said yesterday.

All I can say is that we are proud of that commercial. We think Americans need to know that I believe that we should be basing this campaign on what we can do for Americans here at home and how we can make America safe and prosperous, and that's the theme of my campaign.

I should also note that the crowd responded very favorably to McCain's answer.

Indeed, the very next questioner from the audience was another young woman who announced to the crowd: "I'm 18 and I just have to say that Obama, like, terrifies me. And I would just like to say I think you need to call him on every shot. Don't let him get away with a single thing. We can't afford it." This, too, generated hearty applause from the crowd.

RACINE, WI - John McCain is about to take the stage for one of his "Straight Talk Town Hall" meetings here in Racine, Wisconsin, a city of approximately 80,000 located 20 miles south of Milwaukee. After sitting through a 10 minute long bio of McCain's military service, the fairly enthusiastic crowd of roughly 500 watched is listening to the Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party introduce Senator McCain.

More updates in a bit.

RACINE, WI - Things have been ratcheted up to a whole new level today. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis just released a statement saying, "Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."

Full text of the McCain press release below the jump.

(more...)

With apologies to Monty Python, looks like the economy is not dead yet. And the McCain campaign has something to say about that:

Today's GDP data are a stark reminder of the importance of focusing on the conditions facing American workers and the policies that will get our economy back on track. While growth continues to be disappointing, trade provides one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy economic picture, raising questions about Barack Obama's policy of economic isolationism.

The data announced today show that exports grew 9.2%. Absent strong growth in trade, the economy would have turned negative in the second quarter, contracting by 0.52% instead of growing 1.9%. Senator Obama will throw up trade barriers that would seriously hurt American workers, businesses and our economy. When 95% of the world's consumers live outside our borders, it is crucial that we do everything we can to expand markets for American goods and level the playing field for American businesses and workers.

There is much that needs to be done to get the economy on track. John McCain's Jobs for America Plan will encourage new sources of energy, provide relief for skyrocketing gas prices, help families facing foreclosure stay in their homes, put a stop to Washington's out-of-control spending, keep taxes low to create good jobs here in America, and give American workers renewed confidence in their economic future.

As of late, that's also known as McCain country. Republicans across the nation are tearing their hair out over McCain's latest rhetorical wanderings. Exhibit A: Daniel Henninger's latest column, "Is McCain Stupid?"

Is John McCain losing it?...

What I'm asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn't abandoned by his own voters?

It's not just taxes. Recently the subject came up of Al Gore's assertion that the U.S. could get its energy solely from renewables in 10 years. Sen. McCain said: "If the vice president says it's doable, I believe it's doable." What!!?? In a later interview, Mr. McCain said he hadn't read "all the specifics" of the Gore plan and now, "I don't think it's doable without nuclear power." It just sounds loopy.

Then this week in San Francisco, in an interview with the Chronicle, Sen. McCain called Nancy Pelosi an "inspiration to millions of Americans." Notwithstanding his promises to "work with the other side," this is a politically obtuse thing to say in the middle of a campaign. Would Bill Clinton, running for president in 1996 after losing control of the House, have called Newt Gingrich an "inspiration"? House Minority Leader John Boehner, facing a 10-to-20 seat loss in November, must be gagging...

You're supposed to sow doubt about the other guy, not do it to yourself.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that McCain's aides are facing similar frustrations:

For weeks, McCain's staff has been criticized for running a campaign that has no clear message. The decision by the senator from Arizona to have former Bush strategist Steve Schmidt run daily operations was described as a way to get control of the message. But some Republicans outside the campaign believe that not much has changed since then.

"It's the candidate," said one GOP strategist with close ties to the campaign, who added that efforts to identify a theme for each week quickly unravel as McCain veers off message in his public comments.

"I've stood up against my party many times," the Post quotes McCain, "because I've done what I thought was right." The rising concern in many circles is that McCain is getting into a troubling habit standing up against himself as well.

ABC News's Jake Tapper has a quiz up called "The Elitist Celebrity Quiz." Here are a couple examples from it:

Which presidential candidate hosted Saturday Night Live (hint -- the musical guests were The White Stripes)?

Which one had cameos on "24" and "Wedding Crashers"?

Check out the quiz and see how well you do. (Hint: The answer to all of the questions is the same.)

Today on Cross Tabs, John Riley of Newsday pokes fun at John McCain's footwear, Donald Douglas wonders why there's such a double standard on race in American politics and Justin Gardner appreciates the timing of Hillary's convention speech slot.

Be sure to read Cross Tabs Blog every day for the best commentary from all around the blogosphere.

You just knew John McCain's new Britney/Paris ad would lead to some fabulous satire, and it didn't take long for the folks at Slate TV to produce a classic. Warning: there's some explicit language at the beginning of this video:

In the Headlines

"GOP's celeb-Obama message gains traction" (Carrie Brown, The Politico) - Barack Obama's critics laid down the foundations of the strategy months ago: The Republican National Committee started the "Audacity Watch" back in April, and Karl Rove later fueled the attack by describing the first-term Illinois senator as "coolly arrogant."

"Obama campaigns in Bush strongholds; McCain hammers on Obama" (Stephen Braun and Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times) - Barack Obama campaigned deep in Republican strongholds in southwest Missouri on Wednesday, stressing economic themes to woo fence-sitters and scoffing at rival John McCain for "tired old answers."

"Obama Camp Sees Potential in G.O.P. Discontent" (Patrick Healy, New York Times) - Republican anger over the Iraq war and the economy has left some advisers to Mr. Obama hopeful that they can capture pockets of Republican votes on Election Day in states like Alaska, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota and Virginia. Advisers also said they had recently begun emphasizing Mr. Obama's ties to Republicans as a way to make undecided independent voters more comfortable with him.

"Roles Are Set, as Are the Perils" (Amy Chozick and Laura Meckler, Wall Street Journal) - Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain both appear to be seizing the roles in which they have been cast: Sen. Obama as front-runner and Sen. McCain as underdog. The approach carries perils for both men.

On the Morning Shows

Today - McCain advisor Nicole Wallace on McCain campaign's new ad: “This ad is in some ways a celebration of his celebrity. It makes a serious and sober point. But no one can overlook or obscure the fact that Obama is a celebrity and McCain is a hero."

From Late Night

Stephen Colbert:

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Report.)