by Evie Stone

The ad touts a bipartisan effort between Obama and Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) to secure loose nukes...handily tying in bipartisanship, national security, the war on terror, and the quest to make America a "beacon of light" in the world again.

The buy comprises the now-familiar list of 18 states the Obama campaign has been targeting recently, including several that President Bush carried very handily in 2004: Montana, Georgia, North Dakota, Alaska...and Indiana, which in this case appears to be the most salient.

The last Democrat to carry Indiana was Lyndon Johnson, and NPR's political soothsayer Ken Rudin still marks it as "leaning GOP." But the Obama folks see an opening with the Hoosiers. Not only does the state's shared border with Illinois provide a boost, but an unpopular Republican Governor and frustration with GOP-favored free trade agreements could help Obama in November. So it's no coincidence that Dick Lugar is featured in this ad, or that longtime Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton introduced Obama before his Iraq speech in DC this morning, or that Obama is headed to Indiana for a "Summit on Confronting 21st Century Threats" tomorrow.

UPDATE via First Read: Lugar, a McCain supporter, was asked about the Obama ad today at a press conference on Pakistan. He called the ad "accurate" and added "I'm pleased we had the association Sen. Obama describes."