McCain's response ad to Obama's TV special:

Jason Zengerle notices an odd detail:

It's a fairly standard negative spot--until the very last line, which asserts that Obama's "not ready . . . yet." It's the "yet" that's interesting--as if it's finally dawned on the McCain folks that a lot of Americans actually like Obama and don't really buy the notion that he's a dangerous radical intent on installing Weather Underground alums in key cabinet posts. McCain seems to be acknowledging voters' warm feelings toward Obama and even sort of agreeing with them, with the crucial caveat that he thinks Obama still needs some seasoning. Maybe McCain's final hail mary is to pledge to serve one term . . . and then to pledge his support to Obama in 2012.