by Evie Stone

The Obama campaign is circulating this WSJ report that John McCain's recent ads invoking Hillary Clinton have gotten very little actual airtime as paid advertisements:

In the press releases accompanying each new ad, the McCain team pledges to air them in "key states." But don't expect to see many show up in battleground state living rooms. According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which monitors political advertising across the country, only one of the three Clinton-themed ads has been broadcast so far —- and that ad, featuring a Clinton delegate who now endorses McCain, is only airing in Toledo, Ohio.

Which is not to say the ads aren't being watched. You, gentle reader, have seem them, in our postings and on other blogs and probably on cable TV as well. CMAG's Evan Tracey tells the WSJ they're akin to "video press releases."

So, are the media suckers, or is the McCain camp just taking clever advantage of the system? (Or both?) Remember that Obama and his supporters have made effective use of viral videos as well, with a big boost from blogs and the MSM. Ads, too. So are the campaigns playing the media or just using the tools at hand to effectively capture our attention?