People May Dislike Attack Ads, but the Messages Tend to Stick

Obama is selling himself more than any policy. "Only Barack Obama can bring a fractured people together. . . . And he embodies the hope of our nation," a narrator says. But the Obama ad seems to borrow populist language from Edwards, saying he will "take on the special interests" and closing with Obama's declaration that "we're gonna take our country back."

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, delivers his pitch as the scourge of big business: "Corporate greed won't be stopped without a president who fights for you. Saving the middle class will be an epic battle, and that's a fight I was born for."

Romney, in his latest spot, says: "This isn't the time for us to shrink from conservative principles. It's a time for us to stand in strength."

But Romney and his chief rival here are much harsher on the Internet. A McCain video mocks Romney for saying in one debate: "Well, if we want somebody who has a lot of experience in foreign policy, we can simply go to the State Department." A Romney video hits McCain for a 2000 ad in which the senator charged that George W. Bush "twists the truth like Clinton," meaning Bill Clinton. Putting these spots on television would carry greater risk.

Giuliani uses the iconic World War II photo of Marines at Iwo Jima, which gives way to an image of firefighters atop the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center. "The Islamic terrorists made a terrible mistake -- they confuse our democracy for weakness," he says. But, Giuliani warns the terrorists, "we're going to stand up to you."

In advertising, images can linger longer than words. Brown, the former Air Force pilot, says McCain's Christmas ad -- in which he recalled a guard in a Hanoi prison making the sign of a cross in the dirt -- "had a powerful impact."

Tom Buckingham, a retired sales representative, says Paul's commercials "stuck in my mind because he's kind of weird, so I decided to check him out." Buckingham disagrees with Paul's stance on withdrawing from Iraq but likes his smaller-government philosophy.

Voters may object to attack ads, but they tend to remember the messages. Melissa Hanson, a stay-at-home mom, says that "I shut down" when negative spots come on. But she mentioned an ad in which Romney says Clinton has never run a state, city or corner store.

"Even though Romney's ad against Hillary was negative, he probably did make a few points," Hanson says. "I thought, 'You're right. What has she really run?' "