Is the Shine off Obama?

Hillary Clinton is now letting Barack Obama have it. Karl Rove, some think, could not have done a harsher ad on Snob-gate. She says in her latest ad that his “I don’t take money from oil companies” line is a lie, or at least an exaggeration, since no one can directly accept corporate money. (A little late, but she’s basically right.) Then, for good measure, she throws in that he voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill. This tells us a few things. First, Clinton thinks Obama’s brand (high-minded, honest, decent) is scuffed up and she’s going to make sure it gets permanently damaged. This is a character ad, the first one she’s used. Before learning about Snob-gate and Reverend Wright no one would have bought it. Now Clinton is hoping they will.