The Trail

WEATHER UNDERGROUND

RNC Ads to Link Obama to Radical

The Republican National Committee is launching television ads Friday in Indiana and Wisconsin that invoke the name of former Weather Underground member William Ayers and detail his ties to Barack Obama, the first such ads from either the national party committee or the campaign of John McCain so far.

"Senator Obama is crying foul and declaring his association with such individuals to be off limits," said Brad Todd, who is overseeing the RNC's independent expenditure arm. "Fortunately, with the First Amendment still intact, he does not get to decide that."

The RNC ad is the latest -- and most serious -- attempt by Republicans to make Obama's association with Ayers an issue in the campaign.

-- Chris Cillizza

A SHOW OF FUNDRAISING FORCE

Obama Buys Chunks of Prime Time

Barack Obama's campaign said it had purchased a half-hour of airtime on CBS and NBC for prime-time political infomercials to air Oct. 29, and it is reportedly looking to make similar buys on other networks.

The network buys -- which could cost the campaign around $2 million each -- underscore Obama's massive fundraising advantage over John McCain.

Coming just six days before the election, Obama's prime-time ads could put pressure on McCain to respond with a similar national message. But McCain's resources are limited; he agreed to accept federal matching funds that limit his campaign to $84 million in September and October -- though the Republican National Committee is helping out.

But both Obama and McCain have run national ads during this campaign, most notably during NBC's telecast of the Summer Olympics.

-- Paul Farhi