Tom Tancredo: John McCain's Silent Whipping Boy

Thus far, John McCain's political ads have displayed unexpected subtlety -- and a spot that's been airing in these parts of late displays that quality again. The commercial is aimed at Latino voters, and twice over the course of its minute and five seconds, the camera lingers on Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo grumpily listening to Big John speak at a debate earlier in the campaign season. Tancredo has no great love for McCain, as he made clear in this extended Q&A. McCain, meanwhile, is clearly positioning himself as the anti-Tancredo when it comes to immigration policy, and that's a risky strategy, since he's going to need plenty of seal-the-border zealots in his camp if he's to have a chance in November. Still, there's something amusingly sly about the way he uses Tancredo to send a visual message to voters: "Look at this loon. He hates me!"

Check out the spot, complete with the sort of Spanish subtitles that Tancredo would undoubtedly despise, by clicking "More." -- Michael Roberts